What will flu season look like this year?

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Flu season is almost upon us, but what will it look like? Without COVID-19 restrictions in place, Tennessee experts warn it could get ugly.

Since 2020, the number of flu cases has dropped as Americans masked up, stayed home from work and took other measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Without those restrictions in place, what will the flu look like?

“It’s very difficult to predict flu its so variable what we can say with assurance is there will be influenza,” Dr. William Schaffner at Vanderbilt University said.

However, Schaffner is certain that the lack of masks and social distancing will play a part. “Remember all of those things together helped us reduce covid for a period of time but really had a profound effect on reducing influenza,” he said.

This factor is all the more reason to get vaccinated this year, according to Schaffner. He said that vaccination will control serious flu infections and allow winter to come and go.

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