Colorado is more than halfway through its annual flu season, and thanks to the aggressive public health measures taken to combat COVID-19, along with an increase in vaccinations, the state has seen a dizzying decline in severe flu cases and deaths.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has recorded a total of 23 hospitalizations so far during this flu season, which began on September 27 and will continue through May 22.
Last year, by then, 2,430 people had been hospitalized with the flu statewide. Colorado registered 3,546 total hospital admissions for flu in all 64 counties during the 2019-2020 season.
Colorado has seen no deaths from childhood flu so far this season, as well as no outbreaks at long-term care facilities, according to data from the state health service. Three children under the age of 18 died of the flu in Colorado during the 2019-2020 flu season.
Only one death from childhood flu has been reported nationwide this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In contrast, the CDC reports that the 2019-2020 season saw a record 188 flu-related childhood deaths in the US.
Colorado state health officials said they are not tracking flu deaths among adults, but the CDC does. To date in the 2020-2021 season, the CDC reports that a total of three people have died of the flu in Colorado. During the 2019-2020 season, Colorado saw 143 total flu deaths, according to CDC data.
“I’ve never seen flu so low,” said Larissa Pisney, medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. “This is certainly unprecedented.”
This season’s flu hospital admissions are the lowest Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer in the state health service, has seen in his 30 years of practice. He called it “extraordinary”.
Medical experts said the sharp decline in the traditional flu can be attributed to multiple factors, including coronavirus precautions and – most notably – children being out of school for most of the pandemic. That is often the main way the flu is spread.
All of the things people do to prevent transmission of COVID-19 – including wearing face coverings, traveling less, taking physical distance, and washing hands often – have led to a decline in the flu, Pisney said.
“People should be excited to see that flu can be prevented with our basic public health approach of wearing masks, getting vaccinated and avoiding meetings,” said France.
Plus, more people have gotten their flu shot this season. The number of flu vaccinations this season has increased by 13.5% last season. On February 15, 124,469 doses of flu vaccine had been administered in Colorado.
Even if someone hasn’t gotten a flu vaccine yet, Pisney said, there’s still time because the virus has a chance of late-season activity.
“The medical community was deeply concerned about the possibility of additional flu seasons in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic,” said Amy Duckro, infectious diseases physician at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. ‘Thank goodness that didn’t happen. We were all very relieved. At least it hasn’t happened yet. “
While flu and COVID-19 are similar and transmitted in a similar way, Pisney said the two should not be mistaken for the same virus. COVID-19 is more contagious, leads to more hospitalizations, and is more deadly. In the past year, more than 23,000 people with COVID-19 have been hospitalized in Colorado and nearly 6,000 people have died from the coronavirus.
Even with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, there is no guarantee that the new coronavirus will disappear.
Duckro said medical professionals couldn’t predict the current low flu season, and like last year’s uncertainty, they won’t be able to predict what COVID-19 will do for years to come.
“It’s really hard to predict, but I suspect that COVID will be like the flu,” said Pisney. “We will probably see some degree of similar seasonality. I suspect that COVID will just be a part of our normal life and work for years to come. “
If COVID-19 becomes an annual virus, Duckro said the lessons learned during this pandemic will enable people to manage it more effectively in the future.
France said there is still a lot we don’t know about COVID-19, but he expects booster vaccinations will have to be given from time to time, such as with the flu.
“We will learn more as we go on,” he said.
As Colorado continues to navigate the pandemic, it’s important to continue to apply the necessary safety precautions to keep the rates of both the flu and COVID-19 down, Duckro said. Masking, keeping a physical distance and washing hands are central.
“It’s easy to be a bit more arrogant about a disease that might be milder to you, but it just perpetuates the risk and perpetuates the cycle of exposure, putting more vulnerable people in our communities at pretty serious risk,” Duckro said.