Seasonal flu activity in the U.S. increased slightly from the week prior, though it still remains low for this time of year, according to the CDC's FluView report for the week of Nov. 21.
Six things to know:
1. Nationwide, flu activity accounted for 1.6 percent of outpatient visits for the week ending Nov. 21, a slight increase from the week prior. This is still below the national baseline of 2.6 percent.
2. No pediatric flu deaths have been reported for the 2020-21 flu season.
3. The national flu and pneumonia mortality rate is 11.3 percent, which sits above the epidemic threshold of 6.3 percent. These deaths are attributed to pneumonia, the flu or COVID-19.
4. No states reported high or very high flu activity for the week of Nov. 21. One state — Rhode Island — reported moderate flu activity, while New Mexico and New Jersey both reported low activity. The rest of the country is reporting minimal activity.
5. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for the flu at clinical laboratories was 0.2 percent for the week ending Nov. 21, the same as the week prior.
6. Since Sept. 27, 49.9 percent of positive flu specimens were identified as Influenza A, while 50.1 percent were Influenza B.
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