Flu Season Prep, Complicated by COVID-19, Starts Early this Year - COVID-19 Clinical Trial
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Flu Season Prep, Complicated by COVID-19, Starts Early this Year

Flu vaccination for the fall has taken on increased urgency because of the potential for serious complications if patients contract both viruses at once.

Vaccine makers will provide nearly 200 million flu vaccines to the United States this year, potentially 20% more than is typical, said LJ Tan, chief strategy officer for the Immunization Action Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes vaccination.

CVS expects to more than double the number of flu shots it provides to around 18 million people and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) is stockpiling extra vaccines, the companies told Reuters.

Drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) on Thursday announced its first shipment of its FluMist vaccine in the U.S. and said it has increased production of doses in the U.S. by over 25% more than previously planned.


Belgian Students to Self-collect Saliva in Large COVID-19 Testing Experiment

Thousands of students at a Belgian university will collect weekly from September a sample of their saliva for a rapid COVID-19 test replacing more commonly used swabs – one of Europe’s largest experiments with the new testing method.

The pilot scheme could be applied in other universities, schools or companies if it proves successful in faster identifying clusters of infections among students, Belgian researchers and government officials told Reuters.

Belgium, among the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic, plans to boost its testing capacity from the autumn.

Around 30,000 students and academic staff at the Belgian University of Liege will use the self-tests at home and take the tube with the saliva sample to the university labs every week through December.

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