Cdc when is flu season

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) — February is usually the peak of flu season, with doctors’ offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not this year. Flu has virtually disappeared from the U.S., with reports coming in at far lower levels than anything seen in decades. READ MORE: Baker Tells Oversight Panel Examining Bumpy Vaccine Rollout Supply Is Biggest Issue Experts say that measures put in place to fend off the coronavirus — mask wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling — were a big factor in preventing a “twindemic” of flu and COVID-19. A push to get more people vaccinated against flu probably helped, too, as did fewer people traveling, they say. Another possible explanation: The coronavirus has essentially muscled aside flu and other bugs that are more common in the fall and winter. Scientists don’t fully understand the mechanism behind that, but it would be consistent with patterns seen when certain flu strains predominate over others, said Dr. Arnold Monto, a … [Read more...] about Flu Has Virtually Disappeared In US During COVID Pandemic

Source: Pixabay February 2004, riding in the back seat of an up-armored SUV on the “highway of death” from Baghdad airport to the Iraqi capital, I had a strange epiphany about the mortal danger I faced that morning. Yes, a roadside bomb might get me, or possibly a grenade dropped from an overpass, or small arms fire, or some combination of those threats. The high incidence of attacks on the airport road were, after all, what had earned that route the “highway of death” moniker in the first place. But what I realized that morning was that my greatest peril didn’t come from an attack per se, but from the soldiers who accompanied me in the SUV. Deployed there almost 11 months, the soldiers had been up and down the road we were traveling dozens of times, so to them, the morning excursion was routine, no big deal. Although all of the soldiers knew people who’d been attacked—even killed—in convoys like the one we were in, none of them had ever been attacked themselves. … [Read more...] about Overcoming Psychological Obstacles to Beating Coronavirus

Jonathan Reiner, MD, is a CNN medical analyst and Professor of Medicine and Surgery at George Washington University. The views expressed in this commentary belong to the author. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN) The January 6 attack on the United States Capitol was a vivid demonstration of the havoc that can result when a really big lie is repeatedly injected into the body politic. Jonathan Reiner But there was another big lie in 2020, also propagated by former President Donald Trump, involving the coronavirus pandemic. It was a lie that systematically downplayed the severity of Covid-19 and the utility of face masks. It very likely resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. To understand the genesis of this lie, remember that the coronavirus arrived in an election year. Despite a rancorous initial three years punctuated with an impeachment, the former president's path to reelection was bolstered by one unimpeachable … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s other, tragic big lie

BOSTON (CBS) — Danny Ainge played in the NBA for 14 years, for four different teams. He was a head coach for four seasons. And he’s been an executive in Boston since 2003. When it comes to understanding the dynamics of relationships in the NBA, Ainge has experienced it all. READ MORE: Flu Has Virtually Disappeared In US During COVID Pandemic That’s why, when he was asked by Rich Shertenlieb on Thursday about the reports and whispers that players have begun “tuning out” head coach Brad Stevens, his answer was rather interesting. “That’s just … those types of things. Even if a player was [tuning out Stevens], that’s just his way of coping,” Ainge said during his weekly Toucher & Rich interview . Ainge said that he’s been “amazed at how great a defensive team our teams have been in the Brad Stevens era” despite a number of undersized players on the floor at various positions. He indicated the current team’s issue has more to do with confidence than it does with coaching. … [Read more...] about Danny Ainge Has An Interesting Take On Reports Of Celtics ‘Tuning Out’ Brad Stevens