BEIJING -- Influenza cases have dropped sharply this year in Beijing, thanks to COVID-19 precautions like mask-wearing and flu inoculation, the city's center for disease control and prevention said Monday.

Since October 1, the Chinese capital has reported 444 flu cases, down 84.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the center. The number of flu cases since the start of this year also fell by 63.1 percent year on year to 80,010 in the metropolis of over 20 million people.

The center attributed this year's low infection rate to Beijing residents' improved health awareness, their strict compliance with COVID-19 precautions, including wearing masks, washing hands and keeping social distance, as well as other measures such as inoculations of flu vaccines.

Epidemic control and prevention measures have been strict in Beijing since the COVID-19 outbreak this year, and have helped the city quickly tame a cluster outbreak related to the Xinfadi market between June and July.