Thousands of American lives were lost to the new coronavirus last year, but a historically lethal disease has been in the background this season: the flu, which, according to federal health estimates, has killed only one child this year.
For contextual purposes, nearly 200 pediatric lives were lost during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There were only 1,499 flu cases confirmed in a clinical laboratory this year, according to CDC estimates, which also shows that flu-related hospitalizations are significantly lower this season compared to previous seasons.
Between October 1 – the beginning of the flu season – and February 20, there were about 183 hospitalizations for influenza confirmed in the laboratory, representing a general cumulative hospitalization rate of 0.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the CDC.
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“This is much lower than the average for this point in the season and lower than the rates for any season since routine data collection began in 2005, including the low severity of the 2011-12 season. During the 2011- 12, the rate was 2.2 times higher at this time of the season. Hospitalization rates stratified by age will be presented as soon as the case count increases to a level that produces stable age rates, “says the agency.
Experts who previously talked to Fox News about lower than normal flu activity this year said that preventive measures to protect against COVID-19 – how to wear masks, social distance, wash your hands often and avoid crowds in environments closed – probably played a role in keeping the flu at bay.
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School closings probably also played a role, as early research suggests that children transmit the flu virus better than COVID-19, said Dr. Abisola Olulade, a family doctor in California at the time.
Olulade also pointed out that while some may suggest that people were not testing for flu amid coronavirus, the positivity rate of those who were below normal, which indicates that viral spread in the community was really low, not one. problem of which test was performed.
Fox News’ Alexandria Hein contributed to this report.