We have now reached October in this already crazy year which means it is time for flu season. The flu kills thousands of people each year and combined with Covid, the death toll could reach disastrous heights this year. Covid-19 has already affected so many of our lives and it is such a shame that we now must deal with flu season as well. Many doctors and pharmacists believe that we might be in for a ride, but some are hopeful, too.

I asked Mr. Kreimer, a current teacher at Elder and pharmacist, his thoughts on the matter. He told me that we could me in for a double whammy. He also said that we could be in for the lowest cases ever. His reasoning behind this is because everyone is wearing masks and social distancing. He is ultimately unsure but hopeful that his second inference will be correct. I, too, am convinced that we might have the lowest cases in a while. I just do not think it is possible for two deadly viruses to hit us like this but yet again it is 2020. “Few cases in the south might mean little infection spreading north,” says Pasi Penttinen, head of the influenza and respiratory illness program at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) via Sciencemag. There are many people like Mr. Penttinen who also believe that social distancing will influence the flu.

The flu will certainly mess with testing for Covid-19 as many expect. The testing process for Covid is already complicated enough but now doctors will have to deal with more tests as people with the flu will get tested thinking, they have Covid. This then leads to doctors mistreating patients for the wrong virus. “But mistakenly treating patients with influenza as though they have COVID-19 is wasteful and potentially harmful,” Benjamin Singer said via the Jama Network.

It will certainly be a hot topic as the flu pops up more. If someone had asked me at the beginning of the year what I thought on the flu colliding with Covid. I would have said that I did not even think Covid would still be around. At the end of the day, all we can do is wait and let God do the rest. As much as this virus has affected our lives, there will always be a new day and hey it has to end at some point. Right?