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- The flu season has been mild this year, thanks to mitigation measures used to contain COVID-19, such as physical distancing and the use of masks.
- School and office closures also contributed to the unusually sluggish flu season.
- Mitigation measures slowed flu activity even as COVID-19 increased.
Last summer, infectious disease specialists warned that the COVID-19 pandemic could become a “twin” when seasonal flu hits.
But that nightmare scenario never played out. The flu did not take hold in the United States this season and a gemelodemic never arrived.
COVID-19 is likely much more contagious than the flu.
Because the virus that causes seasonal flu is spread through respiratory droplets, safety precautions used to prevent COVID-19, such as wearing face masks and physical distancing, also helped reduce flu activity. .
Due to the short incubation period of influenza and the widespread immunity of the population, the measures used to stop the spread of COVID-19 also caused a drastic drop in influenza activity.
Between October 1 and January 30, only
That’s a 98 percent decrease from
The precautions that were taken to prevent COVID-19 ended up drastically reducing the transmission of influenza.
Both are respiratory infections that are spread through aerosol droplets.
“Any precautions you take to avoid COVID will also reduce your risk of contracting the influenza virus. Hand washing, social distancing and wearing masks are certainly reducing flu cases, ”said Dr. Casey Kelley, family medicine physician and founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health in Chicago.
School closings also contributed to low flu activity this year.
According to Kelley, children have less immunity to the flu since their immune systems have not been exposed to many pathogens.
Like schools, offices are hotspots for the flu.
“Public transportation, office buildings, and business trips are all high-touch events that have significantly decreased [this year]Kelley said.
COVID-19 is believed to be much more infectious than the flu, especially since few people have immunity against this new disease.
Researchers calculate how contagious a disease is by looking at the R number, which represents to how many people, on average, a person with the disease will transmit the virus to.
The R number for COVID-19 is believed to be around 2 to 3, while the R number for influenza is around 1 or 2.
“No one on Earth had antibodies to COVID-19 when the outbreak started, so every interaction was an opportunity for it to spread,” Kelley said, adding that we have had years to develop at least partial immunity to influenza.
COVID-19 also has a longer incubation period that can last up to a couple of weeks. With the flu, people generally develop symptoms only a couple of days after being exposed to the virus.
“Most people with the flu experience symptoms relatively early in their illness, generally within 2 days of exposure,” said Dr. John Showalter, communicable disease expert and product manager for Jvion in Suwanee, Georgia.
Once flu symptoms start, people generally isolate themselves, reducing the chance of transmitting the virus.
“With COVID-19, people can actively spread the virus for up to 7 days before they experience symptoms,” Showalter said.
In addition, COVID-19 often causes irregular symptoms, such as intestinal problems or a headache.
“This means that many do not even realize they have, or are spreading, the disease for a week or more, and it is likely that they have not altered their interactions with others during that time,” Showalter said.
When pandemic restrictions are lifted, experts suspect the flu will return.
“The flu is one of the most constant and persistent illnesses in recorded medical history, with reports of flu-like illnesses dating back to ancient Greece,” Showalter said.
While we are likely to see minimal flu activity in the 2021-2022 flu season due to continued safety precautions, Showalter said the flu is “not going anywhere.”
Kelley is hopeful that the mitigation measures taken to contain COVID-19 will last and help contain the flu in the future.
“Developing and maintaining a strong immune system, washing your hands, isolating yourself when you are not feeling well, and even wearing a mask during peak flu season will reduce the spread of the flu, even after the pandemic is history.” Kelley said.
The flu season has historically been mild this year, thanks to mitigation measures, such as physical distancing and the use of masks, used to contain the spread of COVID-19.
School and office closures also contributed to the unusually sluggish flu season.
The mitigation measures used to control the spread of COVID-19, along with the widespread immunity of the population against influenza, helped curb influenza activity this year.
However, although flu activity has been unusually low this season, COVID-19 has increased.
