US flu exercise final week declined for the third week in a row, however main impacts are nonetheless being felt at hospitals and outpatient clinics, with 16 extra pediatric flu deaths reported, the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) stated right now in its newest replace.
With the nation nonetheless within the grips of a high-severity season for the primary time since 2017-18, check positivity for flu final week was nonetheless excessive, at 18.9%, however exhibits a declining development. Nationally, the share of outpatient visits for flulike sickness—presently simply shy of 5%—has been above the nationwide baseline for 14 weeks in a row, and all areas of the nation stay above their regional baselines.
Although the nation is within the latter a part of the flu season, when influenza B exercise usually spikes, 96% of optimistic flu checks at public well being labs final week have been influenza A. Of subtyped influenza A viruses, 54.4% have been the 2009 H1N1 pressure and 45.6% have been H3N2.
Hospitalizations tracked via the FluSurv-NET present that the cumulative charge final week was the best for the reason that 2010-11 season, and the CDC’s Nationwide Healthcare Security Community (NHSN) Hospital Respiratory Knowledge present that greater than 29,500 folks have been hospitalized for flu final week, displaying a downward development.
Total deaths from flu declined, however once more outpaced COVID-19 deaths. The 16 newly reported pediatric flu deaths pushed the season’s whole to 114. That compares with 187 deaths for all of 2022-23 and 207 final season. Of the newest deaths, 15 have been linked to influenza A and 1 to influenza B. Of 9 subtyped influenza A samples, 5 have been H1N1 and 4 have been H3N2.
COVID wastewater detections now at low degree
For COVID, check positivity stays secure, and emergency division visits and hospitalizations proceed to say no, the CDC stated in its weekly respiratory virus replace. The share of deaths from COVID, at 1.1%, was much like the earlier week.
Wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2 declined from the average to the low degree, with the best ranges within the South.
