Thanks in large part to social detachment and the use of masks – as well as greater acceptance of the flu vaccine – deaths from influenza this season are almost non-existent.
Why it matters: The dramatic drop in influenza and other circulating respiratory viruses has given the United States’ health care system a welcome truce at a time when COVID-19 is raging.
By the numbers: According to the CDC, the United States recorded only five deaths from influenza in the 52nd week of 2020, a period that generally represents the peak of the influenza season.
- That’s 40 times fewer deaths than in the same week in 2019, and more than 130 times fewer deaths than during the 2017 flu season.
- According to data from BioFire Diagnostics, the levels of almost all common respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses are virtually undetectable.
How it works: It turns out that if you drastically reduce global travel, close workplaces and public schools and promote the use of masks and hand washing, you will eliminate opportunities for the spread of common pathogens.
- It also helps that a record number of flu vaccine doses have been distributed this season, and it is estimated that 53–54% of American adults received a vaccine at the end of December, significantly higher than in the same period. last year.
The big picture: Historically low levels of flu and other common viruses are occurring at the same time that the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is at its worst.
- This is not surprising: although common viruses have been circulating for years and there is a basic level of resistance in the population, no one had encountered SARS-CoV-2 before its appearance in China a year ago, and the virus continues to spread. quickly by the vulnerable population.
What to watch: With each week that passes with abnormally low levels of the flu, susceptibility to the virus will increase, potentially setting the US up for a strong recovery in the future.
- It may be what is happening in Australia, where flu cases during the winter were practically non-existent, only to recover in December, when flu is generally absent in the southern hemisphere.
The end result: While it is good to see fewer flu deaths, SARS-CoV-2 is devastating the United States to an entirely different magnitude, with more Americans dying from COVID-19 last week than the entire number of flu deaths last season.