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On Jan. 17, 2020, the Lenawee County Health Department had recorded 128 cases of influenza.
As of Jan. 17, 2021, the health department hadn’t recorded one flu case.
So what gives?
A stark decrease in influenza has actually been a common theme across the country this flu season.
More than 65,000 cases of the flu were reported between Sept. 29 and Dec. 28 during the 2019 flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had only reported 1,016 cases through the same period of 2020, according to a USA Today report.
Lenawee County Health Officer Martha Hall attributes the decline to COVID-19 precautions, such as mask wearing and social distancing.
“The combination of increased hand hygiene and wearing of face coverings likely is contributing to the decline in influenza cases,” she said via email. “Additionally, other public health guidance to maintain physical distance and avoid crowds may also be helping to keep the numbers down.”
Dr. Julie Yaroch, president of ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital, echoed Hall’s sentiments and said it’s likely due to precautionary measures. She said so far this flu season “the number of influenza tests ordered is significantly lower than expected” and credited the community’s health and safety efforts related to the pandemic.
Health experts say high flu vaccinations rates have also played a part. More than 192 million doses of the flu vaccine had been distributed as of Dec. 25, which is the highest number of doses in a single flu season, according to the CDC. Prior immunity from vaccines and infections are also contributors.
The drop in flu cases while coronavirus cases continue to increase indicates just how severely the latter virus can spread.
“It says that it’s more contagious and that it’s less forgiving of any lapses of these types of prevention measures,” said Dr. David Hooper, chief of the infection control unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The doctor told USA Today one reason coronavirus is more transmissible is people can spread it for days before exhibiting symptoms, if they have any at all.
The flu isn’t typically transmitted for more than a day before symptoms set in.
Health experts encouraged people to get a flu vaccine as there were concern that hospitals could be overwhelmed by both flu and COVID-19 patients. This sense of urgency is likely another factor that has helped keep flu cases down.
People are still encouraged to receive the flu vaccine, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available.
More than 900 Lenawee County residents were vaccinated in the county’s first vaccine clinic on Monday.
People can sign-up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at lenaweehealthdepartment.org.