As Covid cases continue to increase here in the states as well as many other parts of the world, an unexpected silver lining has popped in the Southern Hemisphere: sharply reduced cases of the flu. Since that part of the world is in their winter season now, we are fortunate enough to get a peek into what our near future could look like regarding a combo of Covid plus flu season.
Here are a few examples:
- In Chile, they have recorded 1,134 seasonal respiratory infections (flu cases) so far this year, compared with 20,949 such infections over the same time period last year. And in the first two weeks of July, which typically is the height of flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile reported no new cases of the flu.
- In Argentina, the number of lab-confirmed cases of the flu plummeted by 64% from the same time last year.
- South Africa hospitals are saying there hasn’t been a sufficient number of flu cases to even report that the seasonal epidemic happened.
- Australia has recorded only 85 new laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in the last two weeks of June—a stark difference from the 22,047 confirmed cases recorded during the same time last year.
Experts credit these drops in flu cases to the restrictions imposed due to Covid, such as wearing masks, hand washing, social distancing, school closings, etc.
Can this trend hold true in the U.S. this fall/winter? I think so, as long as we continue to wear masks, wash hands, and not gather in large groups indoors. That sounds great on paper but I’m not sure if we can have a united front on this. There are so many different degrees of Covid restrictions as you go from state to state.
If it does hold true, it will be a welcome relief for our healthcare system and all of its tireless workers.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Joe Baker, CFP®
Baker Asset Management, LLC
joebaker@bakerassetmanagement.com
