Weekly influenza reports

July 19 to August 22, 2020 (weeks 30-34)

• In weeks 30 to 34, exceptionally low levels of influenza activity were reported across Canada.
• During weeks 30 to 34, the percentage of tests positive for influenza (0.03%) remained at the lowest level recorded for the past nine seasons.  The proportion of primary care visits for ILI were lower than average; no outbreaks and no influenza-related hospitalizations were reported.
• Many influenza surveillance indicators may be influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in healthcare-seeking behaviour, impacts of public health measures (e.g. social distancing) and influenza testing capacity. Current data should be interpreted with consideration for this context. See the COVID-19 Epidemiology update for information on COVID-19 cases in Canada.
• This is the final FluWatch report of the 2019-2020 surveillance season. The first report of the 2020-2021 season will be published on September 25, 2020. Weekly reporting of laboratory detections of respiratory viruses will continue via our Respiratory Virus Detections Surveillance System.