Seasonal flu activity in the U.S. declined slightly again this week but remains elevated and is expected to continue for several weeks, according to the CDC's FluView report published Jan. 21.
Seven CDC updates:
1. New Mexico reported very high flu activity, the highest level as categorized by the CDC. Three states reported very high flu activity the week before. Thirteen states reported high flu activity, 14 reported moderate activity and 11 reported low activity. Eleven states reported minimal flu activity, while Washington, D.C., reported insufficient data.
2. The percentage of visits to an outpatient provider for respiratory illness was 3.5 percent for the week ending Jan. 15, down from 4.3 percent the previous week and above the national baseline of 2.5 percent.
3. For the week ending Jan. 15, 1,483 lab-confirmed flu patients were hospitalized, down from the week prior. The cumulative hospitalization rate was 3.9 per 100,000 population, up from 3.4 per 100,000 the prior week.
4. Of all specimens tested in a clinical lab, 1.8 percent were positive for flu virus for the week ending Jan. 15, down from 2.2 percent the previous week.
5. Nationwide, 1 percent of long-term care facilities reported more than one flu-positive test among residents for the week, down from 1.3 the previous week.
6. The national flu, pneumonia and/or COVID-19 mortality rate is 25.5 percent, which sits above the epidemic threshold of 7.1 percent. Among the 4,326 deaths reported for the week, 3,681 had COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on the death certificate.
7. Two flu-associated pediatric deaths occurred during the week ending Jan. 15. A total of five pediatric flu deaths occurring during the 2021-22 season have been reported to CDC.