LEWISTON – There is good news among all the bad things in the pandemic: flu cases in Maine have dropped to a fraction of what they were a year ago.
At that time last year, 919 people were confirmed with the flu across the state. This year, that number is 47.
Maine has not seen flu numbers so low since the 2015-16 flu season, when there were only 36 cases in the last week of December.
Experts say that the precautions people are taking against COVID-19, including social detachment, wearing masks and hand washing, are likely to cause the dramatic drop in flu cases. The same can happen with the fact that many people got the flu vaccine this year.
“The low amount of influenza we are seeing in Maine is consistent with what the rest of the country is experiencing,” said Anna Krueger, an epidemiologist at the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, which specializes in influenza reporting and analysis.
Last year was a particularly bad season for confirmed flu cases and reports of influenza-like illnesses in Maine and the country. There has been some doubt as to whether influenza-like illnesses were really an early emergence of COVID-19.
Androscoggin County had 47 flu cases last year, but has only had five so far this season. Oxford County has had 26 cases, but it has only one this season. Franklin was 31 last year and has had none so far this season.
Cumberland County had 100 cases last year. There are only 22 cases now.
At that time, last year, all counties had confirmed flu cases. So far this year, seven counties have had none.
At the end of last December, 56 people had been hospitalized and four died of the flu. No one in Maine has been hospitalized and no one has died of the flu so far this season.
Even compared to other years, Maine flu cases have declined substantially. In the last week of December 2018, Maine had 313 cases. In the last week of December 2017, there were 546.
The flu season usually starts in October and can go on until May. Flu cases usually peak between December and February, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last year, Maine ended the season with more than 10,000 confirmed cases of flu. In 2015-16, when Maine had very low numbers in December, the state ended up with less than 2,400 cases. Still, it is not clear whether flu numbers will remain low this season.
“The type of flu and the timing of its circulation vary each year. So it is difficult to predict when and how serious the flu season will be, ”said Krueger. “Although we are seeing low amounts of circulating flu now, it is still possible for it to increase in the coming months.”
Experts say people who have not yet had the flu vaccine should consider it.
“It protects you and the people around you,” said John Alexander, medical director at Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston. “It also helps the health system by reducing the possibility of an influx of flu patients to fight the coronavirus.”
“Previous
Maine orders more vaccines and ends 2020 with some of the biggest numbers of COVID-19 of the year
Related stories
Invalid username / password.
Check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you send your account email, we’ll send you an email with a reset code.