Get out your tissues, brew some warm tea and buy some soda crackers, it’s flu season! This year, many health professionals are nervous about what’s in store. After a relatively mild flu season last year during the first year of COVID-19, many expect that flu cases will be exceptionally high this year. Experts believe that the mild season we had last year has reduced our natural immunity against influenza.
According to the CDC, many of the COVID-19 health measures in effect last year, such as hand washing, masking, reduced travel, physical distancing, and increased ventilation, dramatically reduced influenza cases. As a result, there were far fewer reported flu cases and hospitalizations. Additionally, 193.8 million doses of the influenza vaccine were distributed, which was a record number.
This year, we face another flu season at the end of the brutal fourth wave of COVID-19, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. Many hospitals are overwhelmed in states with low vaccination numbers, right as the weather is turning colder and flu season is set to start. What can you do to keep the flu at bay this year?
First, please consider getting your flu shot as soon as it is available. You can get more information about the flu vaccine on the CDC’s website. Additionally, the CDC created a Weekly National Influenza Vaccination Dashboard last year to share influenza coverage estimates and data. This tool is now known as FluView for the 2021-2022 flu season. It is a great tool to track influenza cases so you can take preventative measures to stay healthy.
Secondly, keep up with all of the COVID-19 preventative health measures. Last year’s record low influenza cases were a blessing during the first year of the pandemic. The low case numbers showed that increased cleaning, physical distancing, masking, and better hygiene helped prevent the spread of influenza tremendously. We recommend keeping these measures in place by focusing on proper sanitation and high-touch areas.
Lastly, be proactive. Some experts say this coming flu season could lead to a ‘twindemic’ of flu and COVID-19 cases. In the spring, when many lockdowns and health measures began to ease, increased cases of respiratory viruses like RSV were reported. Many of these cases, especially among young children, were severe and required hospitalization. Health officials believe this trend was caused by these respiratory illnesses not spreading as quickly during lockdowns, so we had less immunity against them. As a business owner, keep that in mind and take steps to protect yourself, your employees, and your customers. Follow public health measures, continue extra cleaning practices, and do your best to keep everyone healthy and safe.
Hopefully, this coming flu season will not be as dire as predicted. The silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we learned certain health measures and hygiene practices can help provide extra protection, especially during flu season. So let’s keep cleaning, physical distancing, and masking to keep COVID-19 and the flu away this year!
