The spread of respiratory illnesses remains high across most of the U.S., which has led to an increase in the number of flu hospitalizations.
According to the Health and Human Services Department, more than 11,000 people were hospitalized with the flu during the week ending November 19th.
Emergency departments across the nation have been put under strain by the flu. After Thanksgiving, flu activity usually picks up, but hospitalizations were at a decade high early in the year.
Millions of people traveled to see family and friends for Thanksgiving and scientists are worried that will lead to more flu hospitalizations. The flu has another chance to spread during the Christmas season.
The number of people hospitalized with the flu is the highest in a decade. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 million people have fallen ill, 53,000 have been hospitalized, and 2,900 have died this season.
Scott Hensley is a microbiologist and flu expert at the Penn Institute for Immunology.
The flu is hitting harder this year because the population immunity is at a low point. The measures put in place during Covid kept the flu out for two years. Large swaths of the population didn't get an immunity boost from infections so they may be more vulnerable to flu this season.
The most vulnerable are seniors and children under the age of five. The U.S. could be in for a tough season due to a flu variant that is more severe for the elderly. According to the CDC, more than half of flu samples were positive for the A(H3N2) strain.
It's a well known phenomenon. William Schaffner said that H3N2 has a more severe impact on older people.
There is hope that this season will be different because flu vaccines aren't as effective against H3N2 According to the CDC, most of the flu viruses tested are similar to the strains included in the vaccine.
When the shots are matched well to the circulating variant, they usually perform better. Depending on how well the shots were matched to the strains circulating, the efficacy of the vaccine has ranged from 19% to 60% in the past.
The vaccines seem to be good matches to what is circulating. He said that this is the year to get the vaccine.
Most of the country is seeing high levels of illness, despite the fact that flu activity was highest in the Southeast.
In Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Wyoming, flu activity is moderate.
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