This year’s flu season is about one-third of the least active flu season recorded since 2005.
Dr. Fred Lopez Professor and Infectious Diseases specialist at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine says that is because of a combination of the flu shot, hand-washing, and mask-wearing.
“It is clear that the mitigation measures against covid-19 have played a large part in that decrease in the number of flu cases, says Dr. Lopez. “In addition to I think, people really availing themselves of the flu vaccine this year recognizing that there is this potential of this twin-demic that everyone was predicting.”
Dr. Lopez says we could see such mitigation like mask-wearing and hand washing during future flu seasons.
“I think the question is going to be; what have learned from this with respect to future flu seasons with mask-wearing, social distancing, frequent hand washing? Will we implement these measures in the future?,” says Dr. Lopez.