The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically reduced the incidence of influenza

It was found that the percentage of submitted samples that gave a positive result was 98% less than last year.

In some southern hemisphere countries, where the flu season occurs during the summer months, less than a tenth percent of those tested were carriers of the flu virus. For comparison, nearly 14% of the samples tested positive last year.

“The flu, like the coronavirus, belongs to the respiratory viruses, and therefore the measures taken to combat COVID-19 (mask mode, social distancing, cancellation of mass events etc.), obviously influenced the decrease in the number of cases of influenza infection “, explained Oleg Batishchev, associate professor of the departments of biophysics and physics of living systems at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (participant in the project to improve competitiveness of education “5-100”).

He noted that the danger of a severe course of a new coronavirus infection while contracting seasonal flu has prompted many people to get vaccinated. “All this in aggregate has led to a sharp decrease in the incidence of influenza, which is confirmed by the conclusions of this article”, concluded the specialist.

Experts also report the closure of the borders with China, which has been the main “exporter” of flu. They do not completely abandon the theory that if two viruses enter the body at the same time, one of them will have an advantage, which will lead to the displacement of the other.