Seasonal flu: How cases of flu have almost disappeared

Seasonal flu: How cases of flu have almost disappeared

1/28/21 7:00PM

Seasonal influenza, usually rampant at this time of year, has almost disappeared. That is according to the latest data from the World Health Organization, which at the end of 2020 was recording a tiny fraction of the usual number of positive influenza samples. The global numbers are stunning, but perhaps unsurprising given that similar results were being found in Southern Hemisphere countries such as Australia in the middle of last year.

It's not hard to work out why flu season has been so much milder; social distancing, mask wearing, hand sanitizing and all of the other COVID prevention measures that we've adapted to in the last 12 months appear to be minimizing the spread of flu.

Although unlikely to take priority for a while, the key question scientists will need to unravel is: which of the measures have been most effective, and can we use all that we've learned from COVID to help minimize the impact of flu — which itself kills thousands every year — in the future.

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The most watched soccer match in US history got less than a third of the views the Super Bowl did

Between a top-spot finish in the group stage, a sweeping performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and the president’s controversial intervention, Monday evening’s USMNT game against Belgium had, to put it lightly, shaped up into a box-office clash.

And though the US players’ performance on the pitch might not have lived up to the high drama off it, American soccer fans certainly showed up. According to early estimates, the 4-1 defeat against Belgium was the most watched soccer telecast in US history, hauling some 40 million viewers on average across the coverage on Fox and Telemundo.

That may be a record tally in the US for the sport that much of the world calls some variant of “football” — besting the 36.2 million who tuned in to watch the team’s previous knock-out match — but it’s still peanuts in comparison to the sport that shares the same name in the States.

World cup viewers chart — Sherwood News

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45% of Americans say they’re not taking a summer vacation this year, mostly due to costs

Flight comparison site Skyscanner is recommending some cheaper alternatives closer to home.

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