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Influenza’s Strong Return in Europe Slows in Early 2022

  • Cases in European ICUs dropped to 19 between Jan. 3 and 9
  • Officials worry flu adds to health systems’ Covid burden
Covid-19 measures like social distancing or mask-wearing helped curb the influenza virus in 2021,

Covid-19 measures like social distancing or mask-wearing helped curb the influenza virus in 2021,

Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg
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Influenza’s stronger-than-expected comeback in Europe lost steam in the first week of the year, easing worries about a potential double whammy with Covid-19.

The number of flu cases in European intensive care units more than halved to 19 between Jan. 3 and 9, from the peak seen in the last days of December, according to the latest data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. France, Sweden and the United Kingdom were the only countries with confirmed cases in ICU wards.