It’s usually peak flu season across America this time of year, but not in 2021, as COVID-19 remains the focus, leading to suspicions about accuracy in diagnoses and statistics.
Lynnette Brammer of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, “This is the lowest flu season we’ve had on record.”
Their records have tracked flu cases for 25 years.
Salem Hospital in Salem, Oregon, reports their facility has not had a single confirmed case of flu in 2021.
The absence of any cases is an example of an abrupt turnaround from previous years, which have included 600,000 or more flu hospitalizations.
In attempts to explain the drop-off, some health experts have suggested mask wearing and social distancing are to thank. But COVID-19 counters may be the ones to thank for the change.
According to a Fox News report, “Some doctors say they have even stopped sending specimens for testing, because they don’t think flu is present.”
In other words, you can’t have confirmed flu cases if you don’t test for the flu.
Is it possible flu is instead being reported as COVID-19?
Though fact-checking websites declare such allegations false, the data point toward the possibility.
In San Diego, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio called for an audit of COVID-19 data, as only 36 flu cases have been reported in San Diego County. This contrasts with more than 17,000 cases in previous years.
DeMaio reports, “My concern has been from the get go, that we are relying on numbers from government agencies, that may have a different agenda at stake. We would benefit from having a different set of eyes looking at them, such as an auditor or a citizens’ review committee. Because again, the decisions being made on these data sets are sweeping, the lockdowns are far reaching in terms of their impact.”
DeMaio’s words echo what many Americans sense: That flu stats are too good to be true, while COVID-19 statistics accumulate with little scrutiny.
