Maine flu cases drop | Lewiston’s Sun Journal

LEWISTON – There is one good news out of all the bad news about the pandemic: Flu cases in Maine have fallen to a fraction of what they were a year ago.

At the same time last year, 919 people were confirmed to have the flu statewide. This year, that number is 47.

Maine has not seen flu numbers this low since the 2015-16 flu season, when there were just 36 cases last week in December.

Experts say the precautions people take against COVID-19, including social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands, are likely to be behind the dramatic drop in flu cases. It may also be the fact that many people have had the flu shot this year.

“The low amount of flu we’re seeing in Maine is in line with what the rest of the country is experiencing,” said Anna Krueger, epidemiologist at the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, specializing in influenza notification and testing. .

The past year has been a particularly bad season for confirmed influenza cases and for reports of influenza-like illnesses in Maine and nationally. It has been questioned whether influenza-like illnesses were in fact an early emergence of COVID-19.

Androscoggin County recorded 47 cases of the flu this time last year, but has only had five so far this season. Oxford County has had 26 cases, but only has one this season. Franklin had 31 last year and hasn’t had one so far this season.

Cumberland County recorded 100 cases this time last year. There are now only 22 cases.

Around the same time last year, every county had confirmed cases of the flu. So far this year, seven counties have not had one.

By the end of last December, 56 people had been hospitalized and four people had died of the flu. No one in Maine has been hospitalized and no one has died from the flu so far this season.

Even compared to other years, Maine flu cases are down substantially. As of the last week of December 2018, Maine had 313 cases. As of the last week of December 2017, it had 546.

The flu season usually starts in October and can end in May. Flu cases typically peak between December and February, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Last year, Maine ended the season with more than 10,000 confirmed cases of the flu. In 2015-16, when Maine recorded very low numbers in December, the state ended up with fewer than 2,400 cases. Still, it’s unclear if the flu count will stay low this season.

“The type of flu and when it circulates varies each year. So it’s hard to predict when and how severe the flu season will be, ”Krueger said. “Even though we are currently seeing low amounts of influenza circulating, there is still a possibility that it will increase in the coming months.”

Experts say people who have not yet been vaccinated against the flu should always think about it.

“It protects you and the people around you,” said John Alexander, chief medical officer of Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston. “It also helps the health care system by reducing the possibility of an influx of flu patients when it battles the coronavirus.”

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