- The flu season has been moderate this year, thanks to the mitigation measures being used to include COVID-19, such as body speed and mask wear.
- School and office closures have also added to the unusual flu season.
- The mitigation measures reduce flu activity despite COVID-19 overdose.
Last summer, infectious disease experts warned that COVID-19 pandemics could go into a “twindemic” outbreak of seasonal flu.
But that nightmare situation never appeared. The flu has not caught a strong grip in the United States this season and has never struck a twindemic.
COVID-19 appears to be far more contagious than the flu.
As the virus that causes seasonal flu spreads through respiratory droplets, the safety measures used to prevent COVID-19, such as mask wear and body speed, have helped reduce the activity of flu.
Due to the short duration of the flu and the widespread immunity of the population, the measures used to stop the spread of COVID-19 also caused the flu activity to fall sharply.
Between 1 October and 30 January, only
That’s a 98 percent reduction from
The measures used to prevent COVID-19 have resulted in a significant reduction in influenza transmission.
Both are respiratory infections that spread through aerosol droplets.
“Taking every precaution to avoid COVID will also reduce your risk of catching the influenza virus. Hand washing, social distance, and mask wear definitely reduce flu cases, ”said Dr. Casey Kelley, a GP and founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health in Chicago.
School closures also contributed to this year’s flu activity.
According to Kelley, children are less immune to flu because their immune systems have not been exposed to many pathogens.
Like schools, offices are hotspots.
“Public transit, office accommodation and business travel are all high-volume communications events [this year], ”Kelley said.
COVID-19 is thought to be much more contagious than the flu especially since not many people are immune to this new disease.
Researchers measure infection of a disease by looking at the number R, which represents the average number of people infected with the virus.
The R number for COVID-19 is thought to be around 2 to 3, but the R number for flu is around 1 or 2.
“No one on Earth had antibodies to COVID-19 when the revolution began, so every interaction was an opportunity for it to spread,” Kelley said, noting that years have passed to build up immunity to at least part of the flu.
COVID-19 also has a longer stimulation period lasting up to a week or two. With the flu, people usually develop symptoms just a day or two after being exposed to the virus.
“Most people with flu get symptoms relatively early in their illness – usually within 2 days of appearing,” said Dr John Showalter, an expert on infectious diseases and infections. Jvion’s chief production officer in Suwanee, Georgia.
As soon as the symptoms of flu start, people usually separate themselves, reducing their chances of transmitting the virus.
“With COVID-19, individuals can spread the virus for up to 7 days before they get symptoms,” Showalter said.
In addition, COVID-19 often causes irregular symptoms, such as gut issues or headaches.
“This means that many do not even realize that they are – or are spreading – the disease for a week or longer, and it seems that they have not changed their interactions with others. during that time, ”Showalter said.
Once the pandemic restrictions are lifted, experts suspect the flu will return.
“Flu is one of the most chronic and enduring illnesses in recorded medical history, with reports of flu-like illness going back to ancient Greece,” Showalter said.
While we may see very little flu activity in the 2021-2022 flu season as a result of ongoing safety measures, Showalter said the flu is “not going anywhere.”
Kelley is hopeful that the mitigation measures taken to maintain COVID-19 will continue and help the flu in the future.
“Building and maintaining a strong immune system, washing hands, separating yourself when you are unwell, and even wearing a mask during the main flu season will reduce The spread of flu, even after the history of pandemic disease, ”Kelley said.
The flu season has historically been around this year, thanks to the mitigation measures, such as body speed and mask wear, used to keep COVID-19 at bay.
School and office closures have also added to the unusual flu season.
The mitigation measures used to control the spread of COVID-19, coupled with widespread population immunity against influenza, helped curb flu activity this year.
However, while flu activity has been relatively low this season, COVID-19 has gone up.