Connecticut Children’s Hospital has not had a single patient with the flu so far this season.
“A dramatic change that I guess we should be happy about,” said Dr. John Brancato, associate division head and medical director of the emergency department.
Brancato said by the end of January last year, the ER had its busiest day on record, with 293 children being treated for flu-like symptoms but this year a different story.
“I think it’s really a side benefit of all the other efforts that we put in place to manage COVID,” Brancato said.
In addition to wearing masks, Brancato said limiting children’s contact has proved to be beneficial in the effort to curtail the spread of influenza.
“Many districts are fluctuating between all virtual learning and a hybrid model and just social distancing -- they’re not getting together as much for parties and socializing,” Brancato said.
Brancato said peak flu season is normally December through March but the lack of cases so far has lessened the burden on an already stressful year for healthcare workers at Connecticut Children’s.
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“Although this year volume is down and then that way it’s helpful our other patients who are at normal volume,” Brancato said.
For the first time in nearly a year, good news on the health front.
“I would say after everything that’s been kind of negative and depressing for the last 11 months it’s finally good to have something good to talk about,” Brancato said.
