‘It’s unprecedented’: no ​​flu cases detected in Saskatchewan this season

As cases of COVID-19 continue to increase across the country, cases of another infectious disease are becoming difficult to find.

Flu numbers are extremely low in most of Canada this flu season, and in Saskatchewan they don’t exist.

“It’s incredible, I mean, it’s really unprecedented,” said associate professor of biology at the University of Regina, Andrew Cameron.

“This is really good news that we all need.”

According to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, no cases of flu have been confirmed in the province since the beginning of the 2020-2021 flu season.

Ministry data shows that about a year ago, on January 18, 2020, 1,154 cases of influenza and 10 resulting deaths were confirmed.

This year’s trend comes despite the ministry’s estimate that flu vaccinations up to December 31, 2020 are really low compared to the same period in 2019.

Cameron said that with the pandemic already pushing healthcare systems to maximum capacity, the value of having a peaceful flu season cannot be overstated.

“Vaccination rates are around 30%. We have not assessed how significant the impact of the flu is. It causes significant mortality and health care overhead each year. And it mainly affects the elderly, ”he said.

As for the reason that the flu did not stand out this season, health experts say we can thank the measures put in place to prevent the spread of the most contagious and deadly coronavirus.

“If your car is weatherproof to be good at -40, you know it will be good at -20,” explained biomedical professor Kyle Andersen of the University of Saskatchewan.

Andersen said that the flu migrates between the hemispheres after the colder climate, and that travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic probably also helped prevent the spread of flu viruses.

“There was less flu to start in places like Asia, South America and Australia because they have been doing the same things that we did with COVID-19,” he said.

Andersen believes that as long as strict health measures are maintained, the trend of low influenza numbers may continue into the next flu season.

“Flu is always kind of reintroduced by populations of birds and pigs and things like that. Therefore, we will never be able to get rid of it, ”he said. “But reducing the total number of people with influenza on Earth – that will have a long-term effect.”

Both Cameron and Andersen suggest that good physical distance and hygiene protocols will still be instrumental in ensuring that influenza and COVD-19 do not overwhelm Saskatchewan’s health system by 2021 and beyond.

“I think we are going to get to the point where we are going to end the restrictions and get back to things, in terms of politics, as normal. But, hopefully, we’ll be able to say things like, ‘you know what, take a sick day out’. Getting sick is important because it is not only good for you, but it is good for other people. Or, [in the case of] disease, people may be more willing to wear a mask when going out in public. “

Cameron added that even with a significant portion of the population vaccinated with COVID-19, the combination of the new disease and seasonal flu can still overwhelm health resources in the worst case scenario.

“The flu can come back with a vengeance. The next year can be terrible, ”said Cameron. “It could be that we have what we feared would happen this year – that we have the double hit.”