National

COVID-19 side-effect: flu cases way down in Canada

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Mar, 2021 04:58 PM

The 2021 flu season will go down in history as the epidemic that never was.

By this time of the year, Canada has normally logged an average of more than 43,000 confirmed cases of influenza.

But this year, the Public Health Agency of Canada says there was a total of just 66 confirmed cases as of March 20.

The federal agency says the case numbers are so low they haven't even met the threshold to declare the flu season as having begun.

There has been no evidence of flu spreading in the community, no confirmed outbreaks and the number of hospitalizations and deaths due to the flu is zero.

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the public health measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 have helped keep the flu at bay, but also other infectious diseases like measles — not diagnosed once in Canada in more than a year.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Syrian refugees take citizenship oath

Nearly 46,000 Syrian refugees were resettled in Canada by April 2017 and then more continued to arrive under other programs.

Syrian refugees take citizenship oath

PBO blasts lack of detail in Liberals' $100B plan

Freeland presented last month what the Liberals have described as a plan to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic by opening the spending taps over the next three years to build a greener and more inclusive economy.

PBO blasts lack of detail in Liberals' $100B plan

Homeless bump coming in wake of pandemic: report

One reason for the delay is that people in need will first max out government supports before exhausting their savings.

Homeless bump coming in wake of pandemic: report

Man charged after targeting women in parking lot

Police say in a news release that they responded to an assault call at Southgate Centre Tuesday afternoon.

Man charged after targeting women in parking lot

One missed signal light, one more dangerous weapon removed from the street.

Benjamin James Gilleland, a 35-year-old resident of Surrey, was held in custody to be brought before a judge on the outstanding warrant, while the other two occupants were released at the scene.

One missed signal light, one more dangerous weapon removed from the street.

B.C. long-term care workers vaccinated next week

Up to 400,000 B.C. residents can get a shot in the arm by the end of March. Dr. Henry says prioritizing those who work at care homes will protect the elderly, who can't travel to sites where the vaccine must be administered because it needs to be kept at a very cold temperature.