Recorded cases of influenzas dropped all the way to ZERO in 2020 as COVID-19 ...

Recorded cases of influenzas dropped all the way to ZERO in 2020 as COVID-19 ...
Recorded cases of influenzas dropped all the way to ZERO in 2020 as COVID-19 ...

Cases of influenza plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with one Detroit health system having a zero percent positivity rate for the virus, a new study finds. 

Researchers from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, looked at data from Detroit Medical Center for the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 flu seasons.

They found that every single one of the 6,830 tests administered for adults, and the 1,441 for children came back negative for Influenza A and Influenza B during the 2020-21 (September 2021 to February 2021) flu season.

There were also zero positive tests for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults - out of 6,822 - and one for children among 1,404 tests. 

The findings add to the wealth of existing information that shows social distancing and mask mandates put in place to protect from COVID-19 were effective in combatting the flu. 

Positive tests of Influenza A, Influenza B and RSV were near non-existent in the 2020-21 flu season among adults compared to the 2019-2020 season

Positive tests of Influenza A, Influenza B and RSV were near non-existent in the 2020-21 flu season among adults compared to the 2019-2020 season

'The incidence of influenza A and B and RSV infections in the 2020-2021 season decreased significantly compared to the 2019-2020 season in both pediatric and adult populations,' the team wrote.

'Community mitigating measures such as social distancing, school closures and use of masks may have decreased the spread of viral pathogens.' 

For comparison, during the 2019-2020 flu season (September 2019 to February 2020), there were 780 positive cases of Influenza A (11.5 percent positivity rate) and 892 of Influenza B (13.1 percent positivity rate) out of 6,795 total tests administered to adults.

Among children, there were 1,300 positive cases of Influenza A (12.4 percent) and 2,117 cases of Influenza B (20.21 percent), out of 10,475 tests administered.

For RSV, the positivity rate in 2019-2020 among adults was nine percent among adults (240 out of 2,673 cases) and 23.7 percent among children

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