# Why are flu cases SO low? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 23, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471 "2021-03-23T02:37:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471/81 "2021-04-06T20:28:08Z")
Well, not to mention that if you were among the very unlucky who ended up in the hospital with the flu, there you’d be, right in the lap of COVID. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471/82 "2021-04-07T12:00:44Z")
I recall that people in my area were encouraged to get the flu shot because “It will keep your immune system ‘on guard’. It might even help against other viral illnesses.” ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471/83 "2021-04-07T12:22:25Z")
I don’t think the numbers support a causal link from increased flu vaccine distribution to decreased flu hospitalizations. I believe the former is a year to year increase of about 10%, 175m doses last year to 194m this year, while the latter is a year to year decrease of 98%. This comparison just highlights to me how nasty COVID is. We take actions that cut flu cases by over 95%, and COVID still managed to kill 10-20x as many people a the flu normally kills. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471/84 "2021-04-07T12:39:19Z")
I think American society would rally around a paid sick leave policy; America’s corporate power brokers, on the other hand, would not. That is the problem. And yet, this problem is likely another example of sometimes the near-sighted and myopic look at the bottom line might end up costing more overall. Paying people to come in and infect others, making an entire office less productive isn’t even good economics. I don’t have the time to fetch the studies or cites now but I think this has been studied extensively, and researchers have found that workforces are more productive when they offer time off - for whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471/85 "2021-04-07T14:22:32Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > This comparison just highlights to me how nasty COVID is. We take actions that cut flu cases by over 95%, and COVID still managed to kill 10-20x as many people a the flu normally kills. I think this says a LOT about just how problematic COVID is. I’m going to be repeating this to patients and colleagues. Thanks, **Cheesesteak**! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471/86 "2021-04-10T20:42:00Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > This comparison just highlights to me how nasty COVID is. We take actions that cut flu cases by over 95%, and COVID still managed to kill 10-20x as many people a the flu normally kills. That and we have 114 million Americans who have been vaccinated with shots 70%+ effective after 1 dose, plus 32 million confirmed cases, 2021 studies that estimate that yet another 32 to 47 million cases were never diagnosed, and we _still_ have massive numbers of newly diagnosed cases. This is one freaking tenacious disease. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flu-cases-so-low/938471.md?page=4)