As of: 04/05/2021 11:21 a.m.
There was practically no flu season in Hamburg this year. According to the health authority, only 19 influenza cases have been counted since October. The fight against the coronavirus has slowed down flu viruses significantly.
Already last autumn there were significantly fewer influenza infections in Hamburg than in 2019 – but now the corona effect is even clearer. The authorities recorded only six flu cases this year by mid-March. In the previous year there were more than 3,300 in the same period. Eleven people died of flu in the city in the 2019/2020 flu season – there was one death in the current season. The figures show how strongly hygiene rules, such as hand washing, wearing a mask and keeping your distance, have an effect on infections.
The number of flu sick leave is also falling
After the turn of the year from 2018, the number of flu sick notes rose to around 22,000 cases per week. This year, on the other hand, the number of sick leave per week for those insured by Barmer in Hamburg is between 400 and 500. Not only the number of sick leave due to flu has been comparatively low since the beginning of the year, said Frank Liedtke, state manager of Barmer in Hamburg. The same applies to respiratory diseases as a whole.