Flu season has been ‘a non-event’ so far in Charlotte this year. Will it stay that way?
For the second straight year, the COVID-19 pandemic has in many ways overshadowed flu season, though that doesn’t mean the influenza virus has gone away.
Still, according to doctors and public health data, the 2021-22 flu season has remained mild in the Charlotte area and around the country despite cases typically peaking by early February.
Flu season 2022 in Charlotte
Dr. Carmen Teague, an internal medicine physician at Atrium Health Mecklenburg Medical Group – Uptown, told the Observer she’s “seen zero flu cases this year, which is exceedingly unusual.” Typically, she’s used to seeing “three of four flu cases a week during flu season.”
“It’s been a non-event, basically,” she said. “We just haven’t seen a lot of flu this year.”
Data from the North Carolina Department of Health paints a similar picture.
Through mid-February, the state has seen 10 “influenza-associated deaths” and no pediatric flu deaths. During the 2019-20 flu season, 186 deaths in North Carolina were attributed to the flu, including five people under the age of 18.
And on a national scale, the Associated Press has reported positive flu tests and doctor visits for “flu-like symptoms” are down across the country.
Teague attributed the down-tick in part to the precautions many people are still taking to protect against the spread of COVID-19, such as mask wearing and social distancing.
“All of the policies around COVID have certainly helped with our flu season,” she said.
While things have been mild so far, that doesn’t mean a late surge isn’t possible, experts caution.
“The question we’re asking ourselves now is: ‘Is this it, or is there more to come?’” Lynnette Brammer, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Influenza Division, told the AP.
In Charlotte, Teague said it would be “impossible to predict” if a late surge will happen but that she’s not particularly concerned.
“We certainly have seen late surges before. We’ve seen some as late as the end of February in our area,” she said. “But I doubt it.”
Flu symptoms and treatment
Just because there haven’t been large flu outbreaks this flu season doesn’t mean there aren’t symptoms to watch for, according to Teague.
Common symptoms include “a sudden onset of a high fever” and “significant achiness” as well as a runny nose, congestion and a sore throat, Teague said.
Those symptoms can closely resemble those associated with COVID-19, she added, so you’re likely to get tested for coronavirus before the flu if you go to the doctor because COVID-19 cases are currently more prevalent.
If you are diagnosed with the flu, Teague advises you can usually manage mild cases with over-the-counter medications including Tylenol, Advil, Sudafed and cough syrup.
And you can take a big step towards avoiding catching the flu in the first place, she added, by getting your flu shot.
“Just because (the flu) has been a little squirrely, a little sneaky this year, doesn’t mean it’s not coming back,” she said. “So I always push people to already be thinking about getting your flu shot in the fall.”
