Flu season is fast approaching. Flu shots are now available, containing strains recommended by the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee in March. Given the long lead time required to manufacture some 180 million flu shot doses, scientists are forced to make informed guesses, a daunting task under the best of circumstances.
The Southern Hemisphere has already seen its worst flu season in five years. This is not surprising, given that the COVID-19 virus and variants likely overwhelmed other circulating viruses over the past three years, with the flu considered to be less infectious than COVID-19.
Do the experiences in the Southern Hemisphere guarantee that we will also experience a severe flu season in the U.S.?
