This story appeared in the Macomb Daily. Read the full story here.
Flu activity during the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be considerably lower than a year ago.
A total of 24 patient visits due to influenza like illness (ILI) was reported out of 6,460 office visits in Michigan for the week ended Jan 23. That is a 0.3 ILI activity rate for the state which is down from 0.4 percent last week.
A year ago on Jan. 25, 2020, it was at 3.2 percent when there were 465 patient visits out of 14,387 office visits.
Comparatively, the number nationally is 1.3 percent of outpatient visits which is down from 1.3 percent last week. It’s substantially lower than it was a year ago when it stood at 5.7 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that seasonal flu activity is lower than usual this year nationally.
ILI is defined as a fever (higher than 100 degrees) and a cough and/or a sore throat without a known cause other than influenza.
Nationally one pediatric death due to the flu has been confirmed for the 2020-2021 flu season. No pediatric deaths have been reported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. At this time last year 68 pediatric deaths due to the flu had been reported nationally with two confirmed by the MDHHS.
If you have flu symptoms and are at high risk of serious flu complications, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Your provider may decide to treat you with flu antiviral medications.
A flu shot is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older with rare exceptions. It is not too late to be vaccinated.
To find a place near you for a flu vaccine go to Michigan.gov/flu. Many drug store chains and retailers offer flu shots.
Michigan’s goal is to vaccinate more than 4.3 million residents during the 2020-2021 flu season. As of Jan. 16, there have been 3,268,841 million doses administered (75.52% towards goal) for the 2020- 2021 flu season.
According to the CDC, getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, however flu vaccination has many other important benefits. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization and death.
Much like COVID-19, influenza viruses are spread when a person who has influenza coughs, sneezes, or speaks which releases viruses into the air where other people can inhale the viruses. When these viruses enter the nose, throat, or lungs of a person, they begin to multiply, causing disease. The viruses may also be spread when a person touches a surface with flu viruses on it and then touches their nose or mouth, according to the MDHHS.