Given the way 2020 has gone so far, public health officials weren't entirely sure what to expect for the year's flu season. The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic has strained healthcare systems around the world so the last thing they need is another wave of illness to handle.
And in previous years, influenza has indeed caused significant issues. In the U.S., the 2019-20 flu season, for example, resulted in as many as 740,000 hospitalizations and up to 62,000 deaths, according to the CDC.