The U.S. is experiencing a severe winter virus season, with flu activity reaching its highest level in 15 years. Flu cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are significantly elevated, surpassing previous flu seasons. While COVID-19 and RSV appear to be declining, the widespread flu has led to school closures and increased medical strain.
One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Last week, that number was clearly higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-2010, when a swine flu pandemic hit the nation, according to data posted Friday morning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. But COVID-19 appears to be on the decline, according to hospital data and to CDC modeling projections.
Overall, 43 states reported high or very high flu activity last week. Flu was most intense in the South, Southwest and western states.In Rochester, New York, the flu season has been intense but not necessarily worse than at the peak of other years, said Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Late Friday afternoon, a CDC spokesperson acknowledged that the new data shows “the highest absolute value” of flu-like illness when compared with other seasons, but added that the statistic is complicated: That value references a baseline estimate for doctor’s office visits, but the baseline is recalculated every year. In late January, the CDC was describing the season as “moderate” in severity.
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