How Coronavirus “Disappeared” Flu – Will The Same Happen Next Year?

How did the coronary artery “disappear” from the flu? Will it be the same next year? How will the new influenza vaccine be prepared?

The phenomenon, although expected, for many scientists remains unprecedented, from September 2020 to today and after 15 years of observation and information, this year they did not isolate the flu virus in their laboratories.

During this year’s 2020-2021 flu surveillance (which began the week of September 28, 2020), both at the European level and in Hellas, influenza activity to this day has remained low throughout the season.

“It is typical that in National Reference Laboratory influenza and other respiratory viruses The presence of the influenza virus in no clinical sample“Reports Dr. Thanos Kossyvakis, molecular biologist at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute and the National Laboratory for Reports on Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses of Southern Greece, to the Athens-Macedonia News Agency.

Did the more than 4 million flu vaccines made this year or other factors “wipe” flu viruses off the map?

“The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic seems to have affected, in general, visits to health centers. In addition, the isolation, the Influenza vaccine which made up a much larger part of the population and use of mask “They built a wall to protect the population against the flu,” says Mr. Kossyvakis, speaking to APE-MPE.

According to him, all the measures to stop the spread of the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 “seem to have” disappeared “the cases of influenza. As he emphasizes, it is The scenario is likely to repeat itself next year, if it is necessary to take restrictive measures. “Much will depend on the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine, given that the influenza vaccine for the upcoming 2021-2022 winter season will be designed based on the few influenza strains isolated in the 2020-2021 winter season,” added.

It is observed that at the European level, between week 40 of 2020 and 8 of 2021, based on data from the Sentinel networks, the presence of influenza viruses was confirmed in 33 clinical samples of the 25,606 examined, in total (percentage positive 0.1%). In comparison, during the same period, in the last 6 years, on average, the presence of influenza viruses was confirmed in 14,966 clinical samples among the 39,407 examined, in total (38% positivity rate).

Does the extremely low flu activity data confirm the contribution to the protection of public health of the measures implemented for the coronavirus?

Yes, it is Mr. Kossivakis’s answer as “the wear maskς, τα Containment measures (measures of physical distancing), δηλαδή distances and avoid confinement indoors, as well as personal hygiene and cleaning-disinfection Areas, surfaces, and objects help reduce the transmission of influenza viruses.

“Non-pharmaceutical interventions, therefore, build a wall of protection against contaminated droplets, through which airborne transmission of respiratory viruses takes place. Influenza and the SARS-CoV-2 virus are transmitted from one person to another. when a patient coughs, sneezes, or talks and spreads the virus into the air in tiny, invisible droplets. most effective form of prevention“However, it is vaccination with the antiviral vaccine, which, administered in a correct and timely manner, protects against the transmission of viruses and helps protect against serious complications”, concludes the professor.