After being practically non-existent last year, the flu is slowly coming back across the country. The University of Michigan is currently grappling with a flu outbreak and cases of the virus have starting creeping up nationwide.
Rochelle Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned during a press briefing last month that this year’s flu season could be a doozy.
“Last year there were very few flu cases, largely because of masking and physical distancing and other prevention measures put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Between October 3, 2020 and July 24, 2021, the CDC saw just 2,136 positive flu tests out of 1.3 million specimens tested by clinical labs, according to data published in JAMA. There were 736 deaths last season from the flu and, by comparison, the 2019–2020 flu season saw an estimated 35 million flu-related illnesses and 20,000 flu-related deaths, per the CDC.
Poolbeg Pharma plc (LON:POLB) is a clinical stage infectious disease pharmaceutical company, with a novel capital light clinical model which enables us to develop multiple products faster and more cost effectively than the traditional biotech model.
