CDC director is warning the U.S. is at risk of a severe flu season this year

October 8, 2021: -On Wednesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention influenza experts are concerned that the U.S could be at risk for a severe flu season this year, Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned.

That’s because the U.S. population may have reduced immunity against influenza after seasonal flu cases reached an all-time low in the previous year when large parts of the nation were shut down, Walensky told reporters in a White House press briefing.

During the 2020-2021 flu season, there were few flu cases, “largely because of masking and physical distancing and other prevention measures put in place for the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.

There were around 2,000 flu cases previous influenza season, according to data reported to the CDC. The agency compared if the 2019-2020 flu season saw an estimated 35 million patients.

Walensky urged Americans to get shots for Covid and the influenza , saying vaccinations are not just crucial for the end of the pandemic but also preventing other infectious diseases. A surge in flu infections this winter could put an additional burden on the nation’s healthcare system, increasing stress on health care workers who are fighting a high number of hospitalizations because of the Covid, she said.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 69,000 Americans are in inpatient beds with Covid.

“We continue to see many hospitals and intensive care units across the country at full capacity,” Walensky said. “Every year in the United States, influenza can claim amid 12,000 and 52,000 lives and result in 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations,” Walensky added.

She said it is safe and effective to get vaccines for Covid and the flu simultaneously.

“We need as many people as possible to be vaccinated for influenza so that we can protect those who are at most risk, like adults who are over 65, those of any age who have chronic health conditions like asthma, heart disease, or diabetes, and children, under five who are at risk of severe complications from the flu,” she added.