Coming on the heels of a low-case flu season during the 2020-2021 winter, doctors aren't sure what to expect for the 2021-2022 round.
Mask mandates and extra precautions surrounding COVID-19 likely worked to prevent people from getting sick with the flu, but as those mitigations are lifted, the flu is likely to return.
THE QUESTION
What was the flu season like last year and how will that impact this year's flu vaccine?
THE SOURCES
The CDC
THE ANSWER
After an inactive flu season, there's less information for scientists to go on for this year's flu vaccine. But doctors still recommend getting the flu shot.
WHAT WE FOUND
Flu season typically starts in October and peaks in February; but for the 2020-2021 season, it never really did. Overall, the CDC says flu vaccination rates were up only slightly.
Flu test positivity was down significantly, to .2% compared to the three flu seasons prior that were at least 26% positivity.
The CDC also says only one child nationwide died from the flu last year. That's down from a high of 200 child flu deaths the year before.
A slow flu season gives scientists less information to use when they decide what strains will be covered in the next vaccine.
Genesis Community Health Manager Michele Cullen said the vaccine covers four strains, one is always H1N1. The other three are decided on based on a review of what's happening in the southern hemisphere.
"But one of the things from this year, that relates back to last year because our flu numbers were so low, that they didn't have a real true picture," she said.
So the vaccine for this year will be very similar to the last. The CDC couldn't make an estimate on its effectiveness last year because of the low virus circulation.
The most recent data is from the 2019 flu season, with vaccine effectiveness of 39%.
Cullen said all that means is that it's even more important to get a flu shot this year.
"The flu vaccine has been consistent and studied for over 20 years," she said. "And you know, the data is there year after year and it shows that it does help us decrease our numbers."
Doctors also say it's safe to get a flu shot, regardless of when you got vaccinated for COVID. You could even take them at the same time.