COVID Prevention Efforts May Have Blocked Flu in Southern Countries
2020-08-28
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1Countries including South Africa, Australia and Argentina have had a surprise during their winter season: Their steps against COVID-19 also seemed to block the flu.
2Winter is now ending in the Southern Hemisphere as summer is nearing its end in the northern half of the world.
3But, there is no guarantee that Northern countries will have the same experience as southern ones.
4Dr. Robert Redfield is director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
5He told The Associated Press, "This could be one of the worst seasons we've had from a public health perspective with COVID and flu coming together."
6But, he added, "It could also be one of the best flu seasons we've had."
7U.S. health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated against the flu in record numbers this autumn.
8The hope is that hospitals will not have to face two pandemics at once.
9It is becoming clear that wearing face masks, avoiding crowds and keeping your distance are protections that are not only helpful to prevent COVID-19.
10"They're going to work for any respiratory virus," Redfield noted.
11Usually, South Africa sees widespread influenza during the Southern Hemisphere's winter months of May through August.
12This year, testing carried out by the country's National Institute of Communicable Diseases is finding few cases.
13The situation is very unusual.
14School closures, limited public gatherings and calls to wear masks and wash hands have "knocked down the flu," said Dr. Cheryl Cohen, head of the institute's respiratory program.
15That meant lives saved from the flu. It also, Cohen noted, "freed up our hospitals' capacity to treat COVID-19 patients."
16In Australia, the national health department reported just 36 laboratory-confirmed flu-related deaths from January to the middle of August.
17It reported more than 480 during the same period last year.
18"The most likely and the biggest contributor is social distancing," said Dr. Robert Booy, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Sydney.
19The coronavirus is blamed for about 24 million infections and more than 821,000 deaths worldwide in just the first eight months of this year.
20A normal flu year could have the world's hospitals dealing with several million more severely ill people on top of COVID-19.
21In February and March, the worldwide spread of the coronavirus was just being recognized.
22At the time, many countries in the Southern Hemisphere began preparing to deal with both flu and COVID-19.
23As they shut down to fight the coronavirus, they also made a push for flu vaccinations.
24"We gave many more flu vaccinations, like four times more," said Jaco Havenga, a drugmaker who works at Mays Chemist near Johannesburg, in South Africa.
25The flu has not disappeared, a World Health Organization report recently warned.
26The report said that, worldwide, "influenza activity was reported at lower levels than expected for this time of year."
27The WHO also noted that some people who had the flu in Southern Hemisphere countries might have just stayed at home and not seen a doctor because of the coronavirus pandemic.
28Children usually drive flu's spread. International influenza experts say keeping schools closed as well as face mask and distancing rules have helped keep the spread slow.
29The United State and some countries in Europe have not been as restrictive with coronavirus rules as some Southern Hemisphere countries.
30They are in many cases reopening schools and reducing distancing rules even as COVID-19 continues to spread.
31The U.S. CDC is urging a record number of flu vaccinations.
32Redfield's goal is for at least 65 percent of adults to be vaccinated.
33Usually only about half of U.S. adults get the flu vaccine.
34The U.S. expects more than 190 million individual flu vaccines, about 20 million more than last year.
35States are being urged to make it easy for people to get flu shots.
36Suggestions include vaccinating people in their cars in an effort to avoid crowds.
37In an unusual move, the state of Massachusetts is requiring flu vaccination for all students this year.
38Usually only some healthcare workers face such requirements.
39The flu vaccine only protects against influenza.
40It will not reduce a person's chances of getting the coronavirus.
41Vaccines against COVID-19 are still experimental and several candidates are entering final testing to see if they are effective.
42I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Countries including South Africa, Australia and Argentina have had a surprise during their winter season: Their steps against COVID-19 also seemed to block the flu. 2Winter is now ending in the Southern Hemisphere as summer is nearing its end in the northern half of the world. But, there is no guarantee that Northern countries will have the same experience as southern ones. 3Dr. Robert Redfield is director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He told The Associated Press, "This could be one of the worst seasons we've had from a public health perspective with COVID and flu coming together." But, he added, "It could also be one of the best flu seasons we've had." 4U.S. health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated against the flu in record numbers this autumn. The hope is that hospitals will not have to face two pandemics at once. 5It is becoming clear that wearing face masks, avoiding crowds and keeping your distance are protections that are not only helpful to prevent COVID-19. "They're going to work for any respiratory virus," Redfield noted. 6Usually, South Africa sees widespread influenza during the Southern Hemisphere's winter months of May through August. This year, testing carried out by the country's National Institute of Communicable Diseases is finding few cases. The situation is very unusual. 7School closures, limited public gatherings and calls to wear masks and wash hands have "knocked down the flu," said Dr. Cheryl Cohen, head of the institute's respiratory program. 8That meant lives saved from the flu. It also, Cohen noted, "freed up our hospitals' capacity to treat COVID-19 patients." 9In Australia, the national health department reported just 36 laboratory-confirmed flu-related deaths from January to the middle of August. It reported more than 480 during the same period last year. 10"The most likely and the biggest contributor is social distancing," said Dr. Robert Booy, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Sydney. 11The coronavirus is blamed for about 24 million infections and more than 821,000 deaths worldwide in just the first eight months of this year. A normal flu year could have the world's hospitals dealing with several million more severely ill people on top of COVID-19. 12In February and March, the worldwide spread of the coronavirus was just being recognized. At the time, many countries in the Southern Hemisphere began preparing to deal with both flu and COVID-19. As they shut down to fight the coronavirus, they also made a push for flu vaccinations. 13"We gave many more flu vaccinations, like four times more," said Jaco Havenga, a drugmaker who works at Mays Chemist near Johannesburg, in South Africa. 14The flu has not disappeared, a World Health Organization report recently warned. The report said that, worldwide, "influenza activity was reported at lower levels than expected for this time of year." 15The WHO also noted that some people who had the flu in Southern Hemisphere countries might have just stayed at home and not seen a doctor because of the coronavirus pandemic. 16Children usually drive flu's spread. International influenza experts say keeping schools closed as well as face mask and distancing rules have helped keep the spread slow. 17The United State and some countries in Europe have not been as restrictive with coronavirus rules as some Southern Hemisphere countries. They are in many cases reopening schools and reducing distancing rules even as COVID-19 continues to spread. 18The U.S. CDC is urging a record number of flu vaccinations. Redfield's goal is for at least 65 percent of adults to be vaccinated. Usually only about half of U.S. adults get the flu vaccine. 19The U.S. expects more than 190 million individual flu vaccines, about 20 million more than last year. States are being urged to make it easy for people to get flu shots. Suggestions include vaccinating people in their cars in an effort to avoid crowds. 20In an unusual move, the state of Massachusetts is requiring flu vaccination for all students this year. Usually only some healthcare workers face such requirements. 21The flu vaccine only protects against influenza. It will not reduce a person's chances of getting the coronavirus. Vaccines against COVID-19 are still experimental and several candidates are entering final testing to see if they are effective. 22I'm Ashley Thompson. 23The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 24_________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26flu, influenza -n. a common sickness caused by a virus that causes fever, weakness, pain and breathing problems 27pandemic -n. the fast spread of an infectious disease to many people over a very large area of the world 28respiratory -adj. related to breathing and the lungs 29knocked down -v. greatly reduce, to cause to fall 30capacity -n. the ability to provide a service for those who need it 31contributor -n. one of several actions that help bring about a result 32We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.