New data shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a sharp decline in cases of influenza in Australia. Just 21,266 laboratory-confirmed cases were recorded during the 2020 flu season, compared with 313,033 in 2019. Likewise, the number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases in 2021 totalled just 550 up to 10 October, while only two deaths from flu have been recorded in the last year.
Jennifer Lang of the Actuaries Institute says the decline in flu cases is most likely due to public health measures in response to the pandemic. Research by the Doherty Institute also suggests that these measures may have eradicated at least one strain of influenza in Australia.
From The Guardian:
