[Pyramus]

It's very much disputed how much 'viral interference' was or is an influence in the current pandemic, and this effect (to my knowledge) has been only studied in animal models and human tissue [1], paper from the article [2].

Or to put it another way, the influenza season was already under way when SARS-Cov-2 hit in Feb 2020, but there is no indication the influenza virus slowed the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic.

The exciting thing about viral interference is that no genetic similarity between the viruses is needed, however, the effect is only temporary (days to weeks) and limited.

Unfortunately viral interference is also being misused as an 'alternative explanation' by folks that do not want to see the evidence that non-pharmacological interventions (hygiene, social distancing, quarantine, masks, large gatherings etc.) are effective against a whole host of respiratory diseases.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_interference [2] https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/inf...