NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 09: A woman wearing a protective mask is seen in Union Square on March 9, 2020 in New York City. There are now 20 confirmed coronavirus cases in the city including a 7-year-old girl in the Bronx. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
February is usually the peak of flu season, but so far -- not this year.
The CDC reports the flu has virtually disappeared from the U.S., with a record low number of cases.
Health officials say restrictions put into place for COVID-19 like mask-wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling have helped stop the flu as well.
At Maine Medical Center in Portland, the state's largest hospital, the emergency department has had zero documented flu cases this winter.
Nationally, “this is the lowest flu season we’ve had on record,” according to a surveillance system that is about 25 years old, said Lynnette Brammer of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In recent years, the flu has been blamed for 600,000 to 800,000 annual hospitalizations and 50,000 to 60,000 deaths, ABCNews said.
