The number of deaths from influenza sharply fell in urban areas in Tokyo this winter, possibly due to preventive measures taken against the new coronavirus.
Public health centers in Tokyo and 20 other major cities shared tallies of deaths, either from flu, or pneumonia, in the four months through April with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
NHK found that health centers in Tokyo's 23 wards reported 65 deaths from flu between January and April, this year. In the same period last year, 16 wards reported 246 deaths.
The 23 wards reported that 4,147 people died from pneumonia this season. Compared with last year when 7 wards did not deliver reports, the number was higher by 1,000.
The head of the clinical research department of National Mie Hospital, Taniguchi Kiyosu, says this winter's flu epidemic was minor, and that there's a possible link between this fact and measures taken against COVID-19.
