Flu All But Vanished In Colorado, Other States Amid Coronavirus

While the coronavirus pandemic has not come with many silver linings, a one has emerged as the winter months progress.

The flu has virtually disappeared.

Nationally, “this is the lowest flu season we’ve had on record,” Lynnette Brammer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Associated Press.

Hospitals across the United States have yet to see the usual wave of influenza patients materialize. At Maine Medical Center in Portland, the state's largest hospital, "I have seen zero documented flu cases this winter,” Dr. Nate Mick, head of the emergency department, told AP.

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While no cases have been reported there, a small number have been found elsewhere. A total of 18,740 tests were processed at clinical laboratories throughout the United States, according to data from the CDC. Of those, only 28 were positive for influenza. At public health labs, 12,280 tests were processed, and only two were positive, both for influenza A strains.

For the week ending Feb. 20, flu activity remains minimal in all states and U.S. territories. At this time last year, flu activity was high in 43 states, New York City and Puerto Rico.

So far this flu season, 1,701 tests — or a meager 0.1 percent — have come back positive for influenza, according to CDC data.

In Colorado, confirmed influenza cases mirror CDC data. Around 24 flu hospitalizations have been reported in Colorado so far this season, compared to thousands of COVID-19 hospitalizations in our state. No flu outbreaks have been reported, but more than 3,800 coronavirus outbreaks have been reported since the pandemic began in our state.

Health experts have come to a handful of conclusions to explain the low number of documented flu cases this year. Measures put in place to prevent coronavirus — mask-wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling — were a big factor in preventing a “twindemic” of flu and COVID-19. More people getting vaccinated for the flu and fewer people traveling have also helped.

Another explanation is that the coronavirus has essentially “muscled aside” flu and other bugs that are more common in the fall and winter, a pattern often seen when certain flu strains predominate over others, Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert at the University of Michigan, told AP.

Meanwhile, nationwide hospitalizations for influenza-like illnesses also remained low for the week ending Feb. 20.

A total of 183 influenza-associated hospitalizations have been reported since Oct. 1. This puts the current hospitalization rate at 0.6 per 100,000 people, which is lower than average for this point in the season and comparable to the overall rate seen at this point during the 2011-12 season.

COVID-19 remains the largest contributor to mortality in the United States. According to this week’s flu report, 19.3 percent of deaths that occurred in the United States during the week ending Jan. 20 were attributed to pneumonia, influenza and COVID-19.

However, of the 3,972 deaths reported for that week, 3,130 had COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on the death certificate, and only four listed influenza.

So far this flu season, only one pediatric death has been reported.

A year ago, the CDC had reported at least 310,000 hospitalizations and 18,000 deaths from flu.

The groups most at risk of the flu are older adults, very young children, pregnant women, and those with certain chronic medical conditions, according to the CDC.

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills (though not everyone with flu will have a fever)
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Vomiting and diarrhea in some patients, though this is more common in children than adults.

The flu is a highly contagious illness, which is why the CDC urges everyone to take the following steps to protect themselves and others:

• Take time to get a flu shot: While there are many different flu viruses, a flu vaccine protects against the viruses that research suggests will be most common. The CDC says it’s not too late to get this year’s vaccine.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• If you are sick with flu symptoms, you should stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs such as the flu.
• Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.