Experts: As COVID soars, CT flu activity ‘remains low’
As the second wave of COVID-19 rises in the state,health experts said they haven’t seen much flu activity nationwide or in Connecticut.
Though the state Department of Public Health hasn’t begun posting weekly flu reports, DPH spokesman Av Harris confirmed that “flu activity in Connecticut remains low.”
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report from Nov. 21 listed flu activity in the state as “minimal,” and showed lower than normal flu throughout the country. “Seasonal influenza activity in the United States remains lower than usual for this time of year,” the report reads.
Connecticut doctors said they also haven’t seen much flu activity. Dr. Zane Saul, chief of infectious disease at Bridgeport Hospital, said he wasn’t aware of a single flu case at the hospital. Dr. Daniel Gottschall, vice president of medical affairs for the Fairfield region of Hartford HealthCare and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, said he hasn’t seen much activity either.
While they could not pinpoint an exact reason for the low number of flu cases, they said it’s likely due to precautions being taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All the protections put in place to protect against coronavirus should protect against other viruses as well,” Gottschall said.
Saul agreed. “People are wearing masks. They’re staying socially distanced. They’re washing their hands,” he said.
Last season, the state stopped posting flu numbers earlier than usual so DPH experts could focus on COVID-19. Though the state usually reports data until some time in May, last season the final flu report tracked data through April 11. At that time, 12,953 Connecticut residents had tested positive for the illness and there were 79 flu-associated deaths.
To date in Connecticut, more than 100,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 5,000 deaths have been associated with the disease.
Before this flu season, experts were worried about a potential “twindemic,” in which there was a massive flu outbreak and a second wave of COVID-19 at the same time. Saul and Gottschall said the concern prompted a huge push for flu shots.
Gottschall said he doesn’t believe people can work in the Hartford HealthCare system unless they get a flu vaccine, though there are some exceptions, including those who are allergic to the shot.
Saul said Bridgeport Hospital has acquired tests that check people for COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus all at once.
“So we are testing peo
ple for the flu — we just aren’t seeing it,” Saul said.
Flu season typically peaks between October and February. During the week ending Nov. 21, the CDC reports that only 55 percent of the 33,351 flu tests done in clinical laboratories nationwide were positive for the illness.
Saul and Gottschall said
it’s possible flu could pick up later in the season, which is why they believe getting the flu shot is so important. But for now, it’s a much less immediate threat than it usually is this time of year.
“Right now, flu has been a very, very small part of what we’re seeing,” Gottschall said.