One of the fears ginned-up by the American media is that when flu season hit, the nation would-be hit with a double whammy of infections.
It turns out the flu has mysteriously disappeared.
As coronavirus cases surge nationwide, the flu has seen a remarkable dip. Reported cases of influenza reached record lows last week, with fewer than 40 diagnoses recorded during Dec. 13-19.In week 51 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “FluView” data monitoring system, 36 positive flu tests were documented. This marks a steep decrease from last year’s total of 7,703 cases during the same time frame. The positivity rate has sharply declined this calendar year as only 0.10% of tests taken this year came back positive. The five-year average is 15.80% positive.The data comes in defiance of the “twindemic” concerns perpetuated by medical experts, or the idea that the raging coronavirus pandemic and the seasonal increase in reported flu cases would converge with catastrophic results. Dr. Brian Garibaldi, the medical director of Johns Hopkins University’s Biocontainment Unit, told the Washington Examiner that “we have to be concerned about the possibility of having a surge in flu at the same time as we’re seeing a surge in COVID.”
Americans are beginning to notice there is no “flu season.”
Flu cases both locally and across Pennsylvania have remained low compared to the record-breaking case counts seen in the 2019-20 flu season. But doctors cautioned Tuesday it’s still early in the season, and the usual January uptick could coincide with a holiday-driven surge in covid-19 cases.As of Dec. 19, there have been 767 lab-confirmed cases of influenza reported across Pennsylvania. The official surveillance season for influenza begins the 40th week of the year — this season, Sept. 27 — and ends the 20th week of the following year. This season will end May 22.Across the state, just under 130,000 cases of the flu were confirmed in the 2019-20 season, which ended just as the covid-19 pandemic began taking hold. The influenza count did not include covid-19 cases.
And while California reels from stringent pandemic restrictions, one former San Diego City Council member and Chairman of Reform California, Carl DeMaio, calls for a full audit of the region’s COVID-19 numbers.
DeMaio explained, “if you are going to use a set of numbers like COVID stats to shut down the economy, to take people’s livelihoods away, then we have to really look closely at what those numbers really mean, and whether those numbers are giving us the right picture.”Continuing, “my concern has been from the get go, that we are relying on numbers from government agencies, that may have a different agenda at stake. We would benefit from having a different set of eyes looking at them, such as an auditor or a citizens review committee. Because again, the decisions being made on these data sets are sweeping, the lockdowns are far reaching in terms of their impact.”DeMaio then said San Diego County has refused to have any look over or vet our local COVID-19 numbers.
The disappearing flu season could be explained by enhanced infection-control measures that are being practiced. However, as DeMaio fears, the explanation could be the massaging of statistics to support a fear based-narrative.
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