[Skip to Content]
[Skip to Content Landing]

Influenza in the COVID-19 Era

Educational Objective
To understand the risks of a concurrent influenza and COVID-19 epidemic
1 Credit CME

The annual influenza epidemic substantially affects health care systems worldwide and has resulted in an estimated 12 000 to 61 000 deaths annually since 2010 just in the US.1 The extent of the morbidity and mortality in any given year reflects the degree of genetic drift or shift in the dominant strain of the influenza virus and the efficacy and coverage of vaccination. With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, clinicians face a second respiratory virus associated with morbidity and mortality several-fold higher than that of influenza, in part due to its spread in an immunologically naive population. A looming threat of concurrent influenza and COVID-19 epidemics is a major concern for public health officials and clinicians.

Sign in to take quiz and track your certificates

Buy This Activity

JN Learning™ is the home for CME and MOC from the JAMA Network. Search by specialty or US state and earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ from articles, audio, Clinical Challenges and more. Learn more about CME/MOC

CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Article Information

Corresponding Author: Daniel A. Solomon, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115 (dasolomon@bwh.harvard.edu).

Published Online: August 14, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.14661

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

References
1.
Burden of influenza. CDC. Published April 17, 2020. Accessed July 13, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html
2.
He  X , Lau  EHY , Wu  P ,  et al.  Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19.   Nat Med. 2020;26(5):672-675. PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
3.
Yancy  CW .  COVID-19 and African Americans.   JAMA. Published online May 19, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.6548PubMedGoogle Scholar
4.
Wilson  N , Kvalsvig  A , Barnard  LT , Baker  MG .  Case-fatality risk estimates for COVID-19 calculated by using a lag time for fatality.   Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(6):1339-1441. doi:10.3201/eid2606.200320 PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
5.
Cowling  BJ , Ali  ST , Ng  TWY ,  et al.  Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong.   Lancet Public Health. 2020;5(5):e279-e288. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30090-6 PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
6.
Sakamoto  H , Ishikane  M , Ueda  P .  Seasonal influenza activity during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Japan.   JAMA. 2020;323(19):1969-1971. PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
7.
Kim  D , Quinn  J , Pinsky  B ,  et al.  Rates of co-infection between SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens.   JAMA. 2020;323(20):2085-2086. PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
8.
Worby  CJ , Chaves  SS , Wallinga  J ,  et al.  On the relative role of different age groups in influenza epidemics.   Epidemics. 2015;13:10-16. PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
9.
Li  X , Xu  W , Dozier  M ,  et al.  The role of children in transmission of SARS-CoV-2.   J Glob Health. 2020;10(1):011101. doi:10.7189/jogh.10.011101 PubMedGoogle Scholar
AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 CME points in the American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) Continuing Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

Close
Want full access to the AMA Ed Hub?
After you sign up for AMA Membership, make sure you sign in or create a Physician account with the AMA in order to access all learning activities on the AMA Ed Hub
Buy this activity
Close
Want full access to the AMA Ed Hub?
After you sign up for AMA Membership, make sure you sign in or create a Physician account with the AMA in order to access all learning activities on the AMA Ed Hub
Buy this activity
Close
With a personal account, you can:
  • Access free activities and track your credits
  • Personalize content alerts
  • Customize your interests
  • Fully personalize your learning experience
Education Center Collection Sign In Modal Right
Close

Name Your Search

Save Search
With a personal account, you can:
  • Access free activities and track your credits
  • Personalize content alerts
  • Customize your interests
  • Fully personalize your learning experience
Close
Close

Lookup An Activity

or

My Saved Searches

You currently have no searches saved.

Close

My Saved Courses

You currently have no courses saved.

Close