COVID-19 and the limits imposed to contain it have the unintended consequence of reducing the spread of other diseases.
In terms of deaths and hospitalizations, the winter flu seasons in the United States in 2020 and 2021 were among the mildest on record. However, flu infections are spreading swiftly today, which is nearly unheard of in June.
Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director for infection control at Yale New Haven Hospital, told CNBC, “COVID has certainly had a very substantial influence on that.” “Now that people have unmasked, spaces are opening up, and viruses are behaving in very strange ways that they weren’t before,” says the researcher.
Most school districts had removed mask requirements for students and staff by the conclusion of the school year. However, with the start of summer school, some schools in locations where new COVID-19 cases are on the rise have reverted to masking.
The surge is primarily occurring in the country’s largest school districts, although several smaller districts, such as Berkley, Calif., have renewed their mask regulations as well.
While coronavirus cases caused by highly transmissible subvariants are often less severe, particularly among children, some school administrators claim they want to protect children who are more vulnerable due to health problems.
