Flu: 0 vs COVID-19: 681,659; numbers steadily rise in South Carolina while flu lays low

According to the CDC website, the flu season for 2020 and 2021 was “unusually low.”

Some reasoning provided by the CDC for this is that the same measures that mitigate the spread of COVID-19 help to prevent influenza from spreading. It was also recorded that the 2020-2021 flu season had the most influenza vaccines administered. Flu vaccines are expected to be readily available for the 2021-2022 flu season.

COVID-19 cases, however, have been reported to be over 37 million confirmed cases in the United States, with just over 1,000 cases per 100,000 people in Aiken county. The state total for South Carolina is 4,009 with an additional estimated 1,229 unconfirmed but probable cases.

This brings the state’s total to 681,659, according to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control. There has been an uptick in cases in August and it is expected to continue due to the Delta variant.

Students will be able to be vaccinated on campus this semester, as outlined by an email sent from the Student Health Center. Students can register for the vaccination here.