“it is not too late to get vaccinated”, even at the peak of the epidemic

Many patients flock to doctor’s offices and pharmacies with flu-like symptoms; the epidemic peak is here. Doctors and pharmacists point out that it is important to respect barrier gestures and that you can always get vaccinated.

Fever, body aches… The flu epidemic has indeed arrived. At SOS Médecins, at the Maurice Ravel health center, located in Amiens Nord, many people are waiting for their turn, on this first Saturday in January 2025. Many of them come to consult for flu symptoms.

André Sauvignon, general practitioner, believes “that we are at the peak, or even the end of the peak“But that doesn’t mean the end of the epidemic.”We are halfway through the epidemic. On the Sentinels network, this seems to be more or less the case. There are disparities in France, the map is not red everywhere“.

According to him, this should last three more weeks: “oWe saw this epidemic rise with tests that were slowly starting to change, that was three weeks ago. Last week, there was a significant increase in flu patients“Most of them say they are sore and, for André Sauvignon, “just that, it’s a clinical diagnosis“.

Same observation for Jean-Paul Landrieu, pharmacist in Amiens: “at the moment, we have a lot of activity, there are still a lot of sick people, quite a few proven cases of flu with positive tests“.

SOS Médecins travels a lot for elderly people with the flu, particularly in retirement homes. “Sometimes the test does not work, but that does not mean that it is not flu or Covid, there is sometimes a lack of sensitivity of the tests“, explains the general practitioner.

Antigenic tests are still of interest.to sort things out“between a flu syndrome (when a person does not cough and is achy) and”a urinary infection“, For example : “it is interesting to have a panel of antigen tests, including urine tests“.

People, if they have the flu and do not have any particular illness, must take paracetamol. No aspirin, no ibuprofen. And they must consult their treating doctor, SOS doctors or any doctor if things are not going well.

André Sauvignon, general practitioner

Several factors explain the increase in the number of influenza cases. First of all, “who says holidays, says family reunifications, says absence of treating doctors“André Sauvignon nevertheless qualifies and speaks of “observation bias“: their premises are more crowded because many attending doctors are on vacation.

Nevertheless, “globally [les médecins traitants] would be overwhelmed too, and [ceux qui ne sont pas en congés] are“All that remains is the health center.”has a lot more requests than usual, that’s undeniable“. For his part, Jean-Paul Landrieu said to himself “overwhelmed“particularly because of the holidays and”colleagues on vacation“.

The latest news, at the national level, we have 9 cases of Covid per 100,000 inhabitants, while we are at 400 or 600 cases of flu per 100,000 inhabitants.

André Sauvignon, general practitioner

André Sauvignon also highlights a relaxation and a return to normal since the lifting of health restrictions linked to Covid-19. “In our societies, in Europe, we are not like in other societies, where they put on masks, as we see in Southeast Asia, with Korea or Japan, as soon as they cough“.

He therefore calls for caution and notes that although the flu may be less severe in young people without comorbidity, it still remains a risky disease among seniors. “So if you have the flu, wear a mask at home, if you live there. If you don’t live there, don’t go visit the grandparents“, he advises.

Another important message for the doctor: that people realize that they must wear a mask when going to SOS Médecins when they cough, and even when they do not cough, because “putting it on is also to protect yourself“. Being in the midst of an epidemic, patients “come for a sprained ankle, then they end up with the flu. So it’s important to take this reflex, for now and for the future“.

Because if there is indeed a “beneficial effect of the Covid pandemic“is the awareness that simple measures can lead to less flu and fewer infections (such as bronchiolitis, RSV) which are transmitted by aerosol. This is why we must continue to practice them.

If the epidemic lasts or there is another peak of the epidemic, you must get vaccinated.

Jean-Paul Landrieu, pharmacist

Besides, it is not “theoretically“not too late to get vaccinated, especially since the epidemic still extends over the next three weeks, or even the next month.”You can get vaccinated, but you must not be sick when you do it, and you must not be in contact either” with sick people.

And if some people wake up”a little late“to get their dose of flu vaccine, Jean-Paul Landrieu wants to be reassuring: they will be vaccinated despite everything. Indeed, “better late than not at all“, even if the vaccine will only be effective in around two weeks.

From Monday, you will need to make an appointment before going to the Maurice Ravel space for a medical consultation.

With Narjis El Asraoui-Mara / FTV