An estimated 12,200 Canadians hospitalized with influenza annually in the years before the pandemic
After two years of record low flu rates, experts are warning that the flu is likely to be back at it this season.
This is due to the general lifting of pandemic health measures such as mandatory masking, collection size limits and travel restrictions, according to pharmacist Kim Myers.
“It definitely increases the spread of germs and colds,” said Myers, who works in the Greater Victoria area.
Health Canada estimates that in a non-pandemic year, about 12,200 Canadians are hospitalized with the flu or flu-like symptoms. Getting an exact number is difficult because only nine of the country’s provinces and territories report hospitalizations to the national flu surveillance system, FluWatch.
Influenza hospitalizations declined during the pandemic
of those that do report—Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan—5,176 influenza-related hospitalizations were reported during the 2017-2018 season and 3,657 in 2018-2019.
During the 2019-2020 season, half of which occurred within the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 2,493 hospitalizations. That number dropped to zero in 2020-2021, again not including Ontario, Quebec, BC or Nunavut.
Myers said it’s hard to know if this year’s flu season will be as bad as years before the pandemic, but it will almost certainly be worse than the last year or two. She said the awareness the pandemic has raised about the importance of vaccines has her hoping more people will get the flu shot this year. Already, Myers said, people walking into his pharmacy are asking when shots will be available.
Possible correlation between COVID-19 and flu vaccine uptake
BC saw a small increase in flu vaccine uptake in the first year of the pandemic. In 2018, 34.6% of people received the vaccine, followed by 37.2% in 2019 and 42.1% in 2020, according to Statistics Canada. Rates for 2021 are not yet available.
A 2021 research paper published in the medical journal Vaccine found that the main predictor of whether Canadians will get vaccinated is whether they have been vaccinated before, suggesting that those who received the COVID vaccine may have more chances of getting the flu.
More than 87 percent of British Columbians have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine as of September 26.
Beginning in early October, BC residents will have the option to receive both their COVID vaccine boosters and flu shots at the same time. The province said it will have the capacity to vaccinate about 250,000 people per week in this way.
Who is most affected?
For most people, the flu means up to a week of illness, but for young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised, the virus can make it significantly more difficult to fight off infections.
Health Canada said 3,500 deaths are flu-related each year, although that number is based on a mathematical estimate, rather than actual annual data.
Myers said the best thing people can do to stop the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable is to follow many of the same precautions established for COVID-19: getting vaccinated, washing hands, wearing a mask , to stay. stay home if you are sick and minimize the number of crowded public outings.
“It’s not just for themselves, but they’re trying for those around them who are vulnerable and those who can’t get the vaccines. It’s important that we try to help protect them,” Myers said.