All The COVID-19 Efforts Helped Almost Completely Eradicate This Disease In the US

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life anything but normal for almost an entire year now as we continue to quarantine and wear face coverings everywhere we go.

As we continue to take multiple precautions in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading, we were actually able to stop another one that normally ravages the country this time of year.

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According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu has virtually disappeared as the U.S. enters what is the peak of the season.

The number of confirmed cases of influenza is reportedly the lowest its been in decades.

Experts attribute the lack of cases to current precautions being in place to prevent COVID-19, such as virtual schooling and working from home.

"Though caused by a different virus from the one that causes COVID-19, the flu is also a respiratory viral disease, so everything we are doing to slow transmission of COVID-19, such as wearing face masks, frequent handwashing, and physical distancing, should also reduce transmission of flu," says Eili Klein, Ph.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Doctors also say a sharp spike in the number of people getting the annual flu shot helped prevent the virus from spreading, as this season saw the highest amount of doses given in the past two years.

CDC data shows, as the country entered week six of the influenza season, that nearly every state continues to show "minimal" flu activity, while just Texas shows "insufficient data."