Flu cases ‘almost completely eliminated’ this winter in England, but COVID-19 continues to skyrocket

• The number of flu cases in England this winter has plunged to levels not seen in more than 130 years.

• New data released by the Sunday Times shows that the flu prevalence is about 95% lower than normal.

• Experts believe cases are low due to ongoing lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures.

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As coronavirus cases continue to rise in England this winter, the number of people with the flu has plunged to levels not seen in more than 130 years, experts told the Sunday Times.

Medical experts said the flu appeared to have been “almost completely wiped out” after rates fell 95%.

According to data obtained by The Times, the number of those who reported influenza-like illnesses to their GPs was 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to a five-year average rate of 27.

The data comes from the second week of January, which is normally the peak period of the flu season when thousands of people are hospitalized.

The number of hospitalizations in England for influenza was zero in mid-January.

“I can’t think of a year since this has happened,” Simon de Lusignan, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, told The Times.

Read more: Coronavirus variants threaten to disrupt the progress of the pandemic. Here’s how the top 4 vaccine makers are fighting back.

John McCauley, director of the World Health Organization’s London Collaborating Center, told The Times that the collapse in numbers was “unprecedented”.

But while that may be good news overall, some scientists developing a vaccine for next year’s flu season are having trouble because of the few samples they now have to work on.

“It’s a nightmare figuring out what comes next,” McCauley said. “If you have the flu for a year, your immunity will have decreased. It could get worse.”

Experts previously said flu rates have been lower this year due to lockdown restrictions and ongoing social distancing measures.

The story continues

The low flu count in the country offers a stark difference from its coronavirus cases.

Nearly 4 million people have contracted the virus in the UK since the start of the pandemic and more than 105,000 have died, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.

The country, which has been in a third lockdown since early January, is aggressively rolling out vaccinations. More than 8 million people have already received their first dose, according to a government website.

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