All flu vaccines are quadrivalent vaccines, which means they protect against four different viruses: official

Vaccinated people are 29 times less likely to be hospitalised with Covid-19 than those who have not been inoculated, a senior Qatari health official has said citing a new US study.
Also, unvaccinated people are about five times more likely to be infected with Covid-19 than those vaccinated, Dr Muna al-Maslamani, medical director of Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Communicable Disease Center, told Qatar TV on Monday.
The study, published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‘Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report’, is based on data from Los Angeles County, California, between May 1 and July 25, this year. Its findings clearly indicate the strength and effectiveness of the vaccines against the new variants of Covid-19, it was stressed.
Dr al-Maslamani referred to the vaccines’ efficacy against the Delta variant, which remained high despite dropping a little bit over time. She also said recent studies in the US revealed that the efficacy of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines could wane with time but noted that they still remained effective against hospitalisation, developing severe symptoms or death, with vaccinated people having milder symptoms.
Meanwhile, Dr al-Maslamani stressed that vulnerable people should take the seasonal influenza vaccine, which is available in Qatar now.
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), HMC and Primary Health Care Corporation recently announced the launch of the annual seasonal influenza vaccination campaign. The vaccine is available for free.
In a video message posted by the MoPH yesterday, Dr al-Maslamani said: “Influenza and Covid-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses and lead to similar symptoms. But they are caused by different viruses. It’s very important for people to understand that the flu vaccine does not protect you from Covid-19, and the Covid-19 vaccine does not protect you from the flu.”
Advising people to get both the Covid-19 and flu vaccines, she continued: “We strongly urge people to receive both. Clinical studies have shown it is safe and effective for people to have both, the flu shots and Covid-19 vaccine, at the same time. So, for some individuals this means they will only require one visit to a health facility.
“The flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection...seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be the most common during the upcoming seasons.”
She explained that all flu vaccines in Qatar are quadrivalent vaccines, which means they protect against four different viruses - Influenza A/H1N1, Influenza A/H3N2 and two Influenza B viruses.
The flu vaccine has been made available at 28 primary healthcare centres and more than 40 private and semi-government clinics.
More information, including where to get the flu vaccine in Qatar and FAQs about the flu and Covid-19, can be found on the campaign website - www.fighttheflu.qa.