Flu activity remains at elevated levels in the US but is starting to subside. According to CDC data, visits to doctors’ offices for flu-like illness dropped to 6.8% from 7.7%. The season has been classified as a high severity season overall and for all age groups, marking only the second such season since 2017-2018.
Emergency department visits for flu also decreased to 6.4%, while tests came back positive at 26.9% during the week ending Feb. 15. This marks a decrease from the peak of 18.2% last flu season but is higher than the previous two weeks.
The CDC reports an estimated 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths attributed to flu so far this season. The number of pediatric flu deaths has been relatively high, with at least 86 recorded cases.
Meanwhile, respiratory syncytial virus activity is described as elevated but declining in most areas. Public health experts recommend vaccination against the flu, COVID-19, and RSV, but coverage remains low. Only 45.3% of adults have received the flu vaccine, while just 46.7% of adults aged 75+ have gotten the RSV vaccine.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/flu-activity-elevated-us-showing-signs-abating-cdc/story?id=119037774