The number of flu cases is on the rise, although the illness actually comes at a very unusual time. The number of corona cases is also increasing.
The number of people who visit their GP with flu symptoms has been increasing in recent times. Yet there is no question of a flu epidemic yet, according to Sciensano virologist Steven Van Gucht.
‘The flu virus is circulating, but still at a relatively low level. So we are not yet in a full flu epidemic’, explains Van Gucht. It remains to be seen whether that epidemic will come, because normally the flu virus starts to flare up in the months of January and February. A normal epidemic is gradually coming to an end in mid-March.
Still, Van Gucht prefers to keep his mouth shut, because it has been ‘two unusual years’. With the restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the flu was also nipped in the bud.
‘Twindemie’
Whether we will still have to deal with a flu epidemic remains to be seen. If that is indeed the case, then the dreaded ‘twin epidemic’ will come upon us, because that other epidemic seems to be picking up again. The number of hospital admissions with covid-19 is increasing and there are on average more than 8,000 corona cases per day, an increase of 30 percent.
Between March 9 and 15, an average of 156 people were hospitalized per day, a 9 percent increase, Sciensano said. A total of 2,182 patients are currently in hospital who are infected with the corona virus, 180 of whom are in intensive care (minus 9 percent).
The reproduction number of the coronavirus is 1.08. When it is greater than 1, this indicator means that the epidemic tends to pick up.
The number of people who visit their GP with flu symptoms has been increasing in recent times. Yet there is no question of a flu epidemic yet, according to Sciensano virologist Steven Van Gucht.’The flu virus is circulating, but still at a relatively low level. So we are not yet in a full flu epidemic’, explains Van Gucht. It remains to be seen whether that epidemic will come, because normally the flu virus starts to flare up in the months of January and February. A normal epidemic is gradually coming to an end in mid-March. Still, Van Gucht prefers to keep his mouth shut, because it has been ‘two unusual years’. With the restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the flu was also nipped in the bud. Whether we will still have to deal with a flu epidemic remains to be seen. If that is indeed the case, then the dreaded ‘twin epidemic’ will come upon us, because that other epidemic seems to be picking up again. The number of hospital admissions with covid-19 is increasing and there are on average more than 8,000 corona cases per day, an increase of 30 percent. Between March 9 and 15, an average of 156 people were hospitalized per day, a 9 percent increase, Sciensano said. A total of 2,182 patients are currently in hospital who are infected with the corona virus, 180 of whom are in intensive care (minus 9 percent). The reproduction number of the coronavirus is 1.08. When it is greater than 1, this indicator means that the epidemic tends to pick up.
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