Pandemic perk? Less influenza this season

Bottles of cold and flu medicine, plus vitamins, sit on a home countertop. This year is one of the lowest influenza seasons on record, according to the CDC.

Bottles of cold and flu medicine, plus vitamins, sit on a home countertop. This year is one of the lowest influenza seasons on record, according to the CDC. Photo by Amy Ta/KCRW.

The CDC says across the entire country, flu activity is minimal. In California, only a tiny percentage of tests have come back positive. Dr. Tara Vijayan of UCLA says the last time a patient of hers had the flu was February 2020. “Many of us suspect that the mitigation efforts that are underway to prevent coronavirus are actually helping substantially with influenza.”

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Angie Perrin, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Rosalie Atkinson, Brian Hardzinski, Bennett Purser