Jan Wesner Childs
Weather.com
January 28, 2021
During the second week in January, 23 peopletested positive for the flu in the United States.
More than 14,657 tested positive for the flu during the same time last year, before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
“It’s crazy,” Lynnette Brammer, who leads the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Domestic Influenza Surveillance team, told The Washington Post. “This is my 30th flu season. I never would have expected to see flu activity this low.”
For the week ending January 16, the CDC reported low or minimal flu activity in almost every state and territory.
In contrast, three years ago when major media were pushing “Tamiflu” they told the public “that the flu epidemic is the worst in nearly a decade.” What’s going on with the numbers?
Last year, flu activity was high in 44 states that week, plus Puerto Rico and New York City. Only one state, New Hampshire, had minimal flu activity.
Doctors and health experts say the large number of people who got flu vaccines leading into this year’s flu season, combined with social distancing and other measures designed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, are likely contributors for the steep drop.
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