by Guy Page
Three months into the flu season, Vermont has yet to record a death by traditional influenza, the Vermont Health Department confirmed Monday, January 4.
On Dec. 31, Vermont Daily asked the Dept. of Health via email: “How many Vermonters have died from traditional flu this season?”
From October 1, 2020 through yesterday there have been zero (0) Vermont deaths registered where the underlying cause of death was influenza,” Dept. of Health Communications Officer Ben Truman said. He quoted the source as the VT Department of Health Vital Statistics System.
The flu season begins October 1 of every year and runs through May. By comparison, Vermont had 86 deaths in 2017 and 87 in 2018. Statistics for 2019 are currently unavailable.
Vermont flu cases are lower this year than most years – but not dramatically so, according to a graph prepared by the Vermont Department of Health. The flu usually spikes in late January.
CDC officials say the flu impact is light nationwide and list three reasons: 1) increased flu vaccination, 2) masking and social distancing; and 3) tighter transmission controls in schools, which are often a breeding ground for traditional influenza.