Currently, Salt Lake County has seen five cases of the flu.
Last year, Spencer said Utah had what was considered a “low” flu year and still saw 560 hospitalizations for influenza. This year the cases have not materialized. It’s good news after warnings of a “dark winter” and fears of a possible “twindemic” with both COVID-19 and the flu both taking up hospital beds.
Here in Utah, epidemiologists, like others in the northern hemisphere, keep an eye on the southern hemisphere to get an idea about how our flu season will play out. While we were celebrating Independence Day in the United States and enjoying the sun, countries like Australia, Chile and South Africa are deep in flu season.
Spencer said the Salt Lake County Health Department watched countries like Chile and Australia closely this summer and saw their “flu was essentially nonexistent.” With 60,000 influenza tests in Australia this past winter, only 33 came back positive for influenza.
