Until there’s a vaccine for COVID-19, pneumonia vaccines may reduce deaths

THE YEARLY INFLUENZA season threatens to make the COVID-19 pandemic doubly deadly, but I believe that this isn’t inevitable.

There are two commonly given vaccines — the pneumococcal vaccine and the Hib vaccine — that protect against bacterial pneumonias. These bacteria complicate both influenza and COVID-19, often leading to death. My examination of disease trends and vaccination rates leads me to believe that broader use of the pneumococcal and Hib vaccines could guard against the worst effects of a COVID-19 illness.