Coronavirus mitigation measures contribute to mild flu season in Western Pa. and beyond - TribLIVE

Despite fears that influenza would combine with covid-19 to create a so-called ‘twindemic,’ this flu season has been a mild one.

“This isn’t even a mild flu season.

“We should be really grateful not to have a twindemic,” Zimmerman said.

At Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, there has been only one flu case so far this season, said Dr.

“This is probably as close to a nonexistent flu season as I’ve ever seen in my life,” Bailey said.

“This time last year, we had seen a total of 900 patients,” Rosatti said.

20, said Amber Liggett, a Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman.

“Percent of outpatient visits associated with influenza-like illness has been low and is still below the state epidemic threshold,” Liggett said.

Health officials said the mitigation measures in place to curb the spread of covid-19 are likely the key to this year’s mild flu season.

She attributed the county’s mild flu season to basic mitigation measures like covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands frequently and the wearing of masks.

Covid-19 and the flu are both respiratory viruses and therefore can both be managed with the same mitigation measures, Zimmerman explained.

“The mitigation measures do make a substantial impact because they transfer across all respiratory viruses.”.

Rosatti agreed that covid-19 mitigation efforts are keeping flu cases down.

Knowing that mitigation measures were in place to combat covid-19, Bailey said he wasn’t surprised to see a mild flu season this year.

Zimmerman noted that less international travel this year — another symptom of the covid-19 pandemic — also helped limit the spread of influenza.

Though there was much emphasis on the importance of getting a flu shot this year, flu vaccines likely played only a small role in this exceptionally mild flu season, Zimmerman said.

“It may have contributed some, but I think the mitigation measures played a lot,” he said.

“Flu is unpredictable and its activity depends on many factors, including consistency in using covid-19 mitigation actions,” Liggett said.

As long as people continue adhering to mitigation measures, Bailey said, the remainder of flu season will likely remain mild.