Re:Flu has disappeared worldwide during the Covid pandemic
by jsolson on Thursday April 29, 2021 @05:13PM
(#26986803)
It's not an influenza virus.
That said, even if it was, a "very strong flu" with global transmission and impact _is_ a pandemic -- see the 1918 Flu Pandemic.
The death rate in 2020 in the US also surpassed that during the 1918 pandemic.
What I think we've learned is that the same measures used to slow the spread of COVID-19 are staggeringly effective against the flu, and that we now know how to prepare for the next particularly aggressive influenza variant.
That said, even if it was, a "very strong flu" with global transmission and impact _is_ a pandemic -- see the 1918 Flu Pandemic.
The death rate in 2020 in the US also surpassed that during the 1918 pandemic.
What I think we've learned is that the same measures used to slow the spread of COVID-19 are staggeringly effective against the flu, and that we now know how to prepare for the next particularly aggressive influenza variant.