Public health organizations have explained that the reason there were far fewer cases of the flu in 2020 and 2021 was likely due to measures adopted to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, such as handwashing and social distancing. But a post on social media has spread the false claim that the dip in flu cases suggests that COVID-19 was a hoax.
Measures adopted to slow the spread of COVID-19 — such as wearing masks, keeping six feet apart, washing hands frequently and staying home — also slowed the spread of viruses that cause the flu.
That’s likely the reason that recorded cases of influenza dropped dramatically in 2020 and 2021, as explained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and many other researchers and scientists.
The flu is caused by influenza viruses that spread mostly through respiratory droplets, similar to the way the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads. Since the 2011-2012 flu season, the number of flu cases in the U.S. has been around 30 million each year with about 40,000 deaths, according to the CDC, which did not give estimates for the 2020-2021 season because of the low rates of infection.
But a post has gone viral on social media showing a graph from the WHO that demonstrates the dip in cases of the flu. The post includes text that references a well-worn but false claim that COVID-19 was a hoax, saying, “One of the greatest mysteries of COVID-19: Where did the flu...
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