B.C. sees very minor flu season for 2nd year in a row amid COVID-19 pandemic

A young woman in bed while at home sick. (Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels)

For the second year in a row, B.C. recorded a flu season that's well below the five-year average, though more cases were recorded this year than last.

According to a recent weekly report issued by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, 290 influenza cases have been counted from 142,931 tests since Oct. 3, resulting in a 0.2 per cent test positivity rate. More than half of those flu cases (163) were recorded by Vancouver Coastal Health. 

The BCCDC says testing has been high this season compared to previous years, but detection of the virus remains low.

Nationwide, Health Canada says just 551 influenza cases have been detected between Aug. 29 and March 12, which is significantly lower than pre-pandemic seasons. In fact, on average, there are typically more than 38,000 influenza cases recorded across the country by this time. 

Both the BCCDC and Health Canada say there hasn't been any evidence of community circulation of the flu this season.

Last fall, health officials warned the respiratory illness season could be particularly severe, with immunity to influenza lower than normal. Some in the health-care industry even warned there could be a "twindemic" of high flu and COVID-19 case counts. 

The warnings came after B.C. saw an even milder flu season last year. Out of more than 75,000 tests, only 18 came back positive in the 2020-21 season. But those 18 tests were done on 11 people, meaning some people tested positive for more than one type of the flu virus. Of those 11, just one person was believed to be infected by close contact with an infected person and that case was linked to out-of-country travel. 

With these warnings and in an effort to reduce strain on the province's health-care system, all British Columbians were eligible for a free flu shot this season. Typically, there is a small cost to get a flu shot, though there are a wide range of exemptions that waive the fee. 

The BCCDC counts the flu season as starting at the end of September and ending on May 1.