State’s flu stats still low

Someone was hospitalized with flu-related illness in the week ending May 1 — the first person in Connecticut to be hospitalized with flu in several months — but flu activity remains unusually mild this season.

According to the latest data from the state Department of Public Health, as of May 1, 164 people had tested positive for the flu, up from 153 the previous week. There were no new flu deaths, and the total remains at one for the season.

The new flu-related hospitalization was the first in the state since January, and brings the total of flu-related hospitalizations in Connecticut to 14 for the season.

By contrast, when the state stopped issuing flu reports in mid-April last year, there had been a total of 3,013 people hospitalized with the flu, 79 flu-related deaths and 12,953 people had tested positive for flu.

Last year, the DPH stopped issuing flu reports early to concentrate on the COVID-19 pandemic. However, state health officials have said the reports won’t end early this year, despite the underwhelming season.

Nationally, activity has been low as well. In its weekly flu report last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that all flu numbers have been low, including hospitalizations.

“Between October 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, FluSurv-NET sites in 14 states reported 226 laboratory confirmed influenza hospitalizations for an overall cumulative hospitalization rate of 0.8 per 100,000 population,” the CDC report stated. “This is lower than rates for any season since routine data collection began in 2005, including the low severity 2011-12 season.”

Both locally and nationwide, experts have attributed the low flu activity to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many of the measures taken to keep that under control — including maskwearing and social distancing — can also help prevent the spread of flu.