Abstract
ObjectivesSeasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection that presents a significant annual burden to Canadians and the Canadian healthcare system. Social distancing measures that were implemented to control the 2019–2020 novel coronavirus outbreak were investigated for their ability to lessen the incident cases of seasonal influenza.MethodsWe conducted an ecological study using data from Canada’s national influenza surveillance system to investigate whether social distancing measures to control COVID-19 reduced the incident cases of seasonal influenza. Data taken from three separate time frames facilitated analysis of the 2019–2020 influenza season prior to, during, and following the implementation of COVID-19-related measures and enabled comparisons with the same time periods during three preceding flu seasons. The incidence, which referred to the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of specific influenza strains, was of primary focus. Further analysis determined the number of new laboratory-confirmed influenza or influenza-like illness outbreaks.ResultsOur results indicate a premature end to the 2019–2020 influenza season, with significantly fewer cases and outbreaks being recorded following the enactment of many COVID-19 social distancing policies. The incidence of influenza strains A (H3N2), A (unsubtyped), and B were all significantly lower at the tail end of the 2019–2020 influenza season as compared with preceding seasons (p = 0.0003, p = 0.0007, p = 0.0019).ConclusionSpecific social distancing measures and behaviours may serve as effective tools to limit the spread of influenza transmission moving forward, as they become more familiar.
Highlights
Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by the Orthomyxoviridae family of influenza viruses (Infection Prevention and Control Canada, 2020)
This is especially true for those who may be vulnerable to contracting severe forms of influenza, such as children under 5, people over 65, pregnant women, individuals living with chronic medical conditions, those who are otherwise immunocompromised, residents of long-term care facilities, and healthcare workers (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2016)
Information regarding the spread of COVID-19 and subsequent measures implemented across various health regions to limit its spread were obtained from the Government of Canada and Canadian Medical Association Journal respectively (Government of Canada, 2020a, b; Vogel, 2020)
Summary
Seasonal influenza (flu) is an acute respiratory infection caused by the Orthomyxoviridae family of influenza viruses (Infection Prevention and Control Canada, 2020). Other public health recommendations to prevent the spread of influenza focus on improving personal hand hygiene, avoiding crowded places through the practice of social distancing, covering coughs and sneezes, and the frequent cleaning or disinfection of common items and surfaces that people touch (Government of Canada, 2020a, 2020b; Infection Prevention and Control Canada, 2020). These measures have garnered much greater attention as they were applied to control the novel coronavirus outbreak
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