Flu activity in the United States climbed higher last week, putting healthcare visits for respiratory virus symptoms at the very high level, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.
Test positivity for flu rose to an eye-popping 31.6%, and outpatient visits for flulike illness rose to 7.8%, remaining above the national baseline for the tenth straight week.Â
Flu is very high or high in 45 jurisdictions, and the CDC estimates there have been 24 million infections, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 deaths from the virus.
Flu and other illnesses have led to individual school or even district cancellations in at least 10 states, NBC’s Today show reported.
ED visits highest in children, 10 more peds deaths
In its weekly respiratory virus snapshot, the CDC said emergency department (ED) visits for flu are at the very high level, with the highest levels in children ages 0 to 4 years old and those ages 5 to 17 years old.
Rising hospitalization rates are affecting all age groups. The weekly rate for week 1 and week 5, at 10.2 per 100,000 population, is tied with the 2017-2018 season for the highest weekly peak since the 2010-2011 season. Though all age groups are affected, the highest rates are in seniors, followed by adults ages 50 to 64 years old.Â
Ten more pediatric flu deaths were reported, with eight linked to influenza A. Of seven subtyped influenza A viruses, four were 2009 H1N1 and three were H3N2. So far, the CDC has received reports of 57 pediatric flu deaths.
Of samples that tested positive for flu at public health labs last week, 97.4% were influenza A, and of subtyped samples, 53.7% were H3N2 and 46.3% were H3N2.
COVID wastewater detections spike in the Northeast
COVID activity remains elevated, but most markers are trending downward, the CDC said. ED visits, highest in older people, are at the low level, and the group predicts that over the next 2 weeks, ED visits will remain at the lower level compared to previous winter seasons.
Test positivity for COVID declined last week. Meanwhile, hospitalization rates remain elevated, but much lower than for flu, with the highest levels in seniors. Deaths held steady, making up 1.5% of all deaths last week in the United States.
Despite the declining or stable trends for most COVID indicators, wastewater detections remain high, with a sharp rise in the Northeast, which is now seeing the nation’s highest level. For much of the fall and winter, the Midwest had the highest levels.
Meanwhile, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity continues to decline across most of the country, with ED levels declining and highest in children and hospitalizations elevated in older people in some parts of the country. The CDC wastewater detections for RSV are at the moderate level.
