This Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, file photo shows influenza vaccine syringes at the L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan's Community Resource Center's Free Drive-Thru vaccination event in Los Angeles. February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctors' offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not in 2021. Flu has virtually disappeared, with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades.
Suzanne Roig has been a reporter with The Bulletin since 2018 covering business and health in the region. When she's not working she enjoys taking her dog Pono out on hikes.
This Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, file photo shows influenza vaccine syringes at the L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan's Community Resource Center's Free Drive-Thru vaccination event in Los Angeles. February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctors' offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not in 2021. Flu has virtually disappeared, with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades.
Seasonal flu season was unusually low in Central Oregon this year.
In mid-March, normally about 95 flu-like illnesses would have been reported to county health officials. This year the county received six reports for March 14 to 28, according to Deschutes County Health Services flu surveillance report.
It’s the same throughout Oregon and the nation this year. The percentage of positive reported flu tests recently was 0.1% in Oregon. In fact, Southern Oregon was the only region in the state that reported positive flu tests in the week of March 14 to 20, according to the flu report.
This is good news for the health of the community. Early in the pandemic, many worried that hospitals would be overrun with seasonal flu and illness from COVID-19, but that has not occurred.
“It’s always positive to have less illness in a community,” said Katie Walsh, Crook County Health Department health strategist. “Flu cases cause a huge surge and burden on the health care. If we had flu and COVID-19 in the fall and winter season, it would have caused a major adjustment for the health profession.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased awareness of airborne communicable disease, including flu, and how these types of disease spread,” said Dr. Richard Bennett, Mosaic Medical chief clinical integration officer.
The most current data for flu, during the week of March 28 to April 3, shows that out of 2,744 tests statewide only two flu tests turned up positive, one in Central Oregon and one in Willamette Valley. In fact, the state shows that there were no flu outbreaks during the entire flu season.
Early on in the flu season, Mosaic did see an increase of patients asking for flu shots, Bennett said. The CDC also urged the public last fall to get a flu shot and says it’s the best way to prevent the flu, according to the county health website.
Jeff Caba, High Lakes Urgent Care director said there are several reasons for the mild flu season, including the measures put in place to contain the COVID-19 spread.
“Mask use, social distancing, hand washing, flu vaccine, reduced travel-particularly international travel and kids staying home from school all have been helpful,” Caba said.
These are historically low numbers, Walsh said. At first, many thought the low numbers of reported flu cases was because fewer doctors were testing for flu, Walsh said. But that was not the case.
“As a whole, the public health community is surprised by the flu,” Walsh said. “The CDC concluded the impact that the mitigation measures for COVID-19 impacted the flu.”
Both the flu and COVID-19 are spread by droplets spread through the air. The flu affects young children and the elderly more than any other age group, she said.
Another factor that could affect the low rates of flu was that fewer people traveled this year. The pandemic stopped much of the leisure market from traveling and much of the time countries issued stay-at-home orders, grounding travelers.
In any given year, flu season is hard to predict, according to the CDC. It’s difficult to predict when the flu season will begin, how severe it will be and how long it will last.
“It’s hard to know what will happen next flu season,” Walsh said. “The CDC will need more research.”
Suzanne Roig has been a reporter with The Bulletin since 2018 covering business and health in the region. When she's not working she enjoys taking her dog Pono out on hikes.
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