Fears of a 'twindemic' are over: The US has seen a 98% drop in flu hospitalizations, likely due to..

[marmar]

Fears of a 'twindemic' are over: The US has seen a 98% drop in flu hospitalizations, likely due to COVID-19 measures


Public-health experts prepared for a "twindemic" as fall approached last year: a double threat of the coronavirus and the seasonal flu.

But even as cold, dry weather descended on the Northern Hemisphere and COVID-19 cases surged, the US and UK have experienced historically mild flu seasons.

Between October 1 and January 30, just 155 Americans were hospitalized with the flu, compared to 8,633 during roughly the same time frame a year ago. That's a 98% decrease. Labs in the US have collected and tested more than half a million samples for the flu since late September, but just 0.2% of those samples tested positive (1,300 in total), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every US state is experiencing "minimal" flu activity, the agency reported. That's in contrast from last season, when 22,000 Americans died of the flu. ...........(more)

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/fears-of-a-twindemic-are-over-the-us-has-seen-a-98-drop-in-flu-hospitalizations-likely-due-to-covid-19-measures/articleshow/80724773.cms?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. The fact that travel to and from China was sharply reduced a year

ago is also important. Every single year a new strain or several comes out of China. With far less travel to and from that country, the flu just didn't get as much of a chance to travel.

[dpibel]

5. Da China Flu, dood?

This sounds familiar, somehow.

[meadowlander]

10. Flu viruses can start anywhere.

H1N1/09 came from Mexico. MERS started in Saudi Arabia. Spanish Flu likely started in the US. H7N7 started in the Netherlands. H7N2 started in Virginia. H7N3 started in British Colombia. H10N7 started in Egypt...

Viruses don't respect geographic or national boundaries and attributing them to specific countries (e.g. "the China flu" ) just fuels bigotry and causes real harm.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/reason-viruses-aren-t-named-after-locations-because-progress-experts-n1165366

[dpibel]

11. Thanks

For a much more stately, measured, and useful response.

[Blue_true]

12. I believe the drop is related more to mask wearing and hand hygiene practices.

Flu vaccines are designed after worldwide surveys of flu strains.

A “novel” flu always presents a challenge, but we have not had one of those since H1N1.

SARS-COV-2 most definitely in not the flu. I do allow that it could be a novel cold virus that is deadly to us because our bodies are seeing it for the first time, unlike it’s four cousins, which our bodies likely dealt with millennia ago, likely with the same deadly outcomes, until our ancestors’ immune systems figured them out well enough that they rarely killed humans.

[BGBD]

2. Some of us predicted this

A while back.

Seasonal flu is not nearly as contagious as covid, masks and social distancing, especially in schools, has crushed influenza.

[live love laugh]

3. Likely that the some of the 22k deaths were Covid. nt

[Cha]

4. K

[JI7]

6. I didn't get common cold so far this season

And I get it just about every year . Many times multiple times a year.

[tavernier]

7. Same here.

Our whole family hasn’t had a cold since 2019, and we all work in the school system where colds travel faster than a speeding bullet.

[bdamomma]

8. Mask wearing

helps.

[crickets]

9. I'd love to know just how much the increased level of handwashing has affected the flu downturn.

That and mask wearing seem to have worked in practically stamping it out this year. Much of the downturn can also be attributed to people travelling far less and/or sheltering in place, but still. It seems a lot of us were lax in the handwashing department before now. Ew.

[Blue_true]

13. Your last sentence explains why I no longer eat at "serve yourself" places.

If you ever observe people public restrooms relative to hand washing, you would know that many people are absolutely filthy.

[crickets]

15. Oh, I hear you. 🤦‍♀️

[Olafjoy]

14. I have sent in one prescription for Tamiflu vs 100? Or more in a normal year

Amazing what masks will do

[roamer65]

16. I have yet to catch my yearly noroviruses.

Usually twice or 3 times a winter.

Knocking on wood.

Only one cold that dad gave to me so far this year.

I am going to wear masks from 1 October to 30 April from now on.

[GulfCoast66]

17. No surprise at all. COVID is way more contagious than the flu.

And while too few Americans are doing what they should, many are. Especially in areas where the flu enters the US. Masks help. WTF do surgeons wear them? It’s common sense. Which way too few people have.