Flu activity is unusually low but may increase in the coming months, according to the CDC's FluView report for the week ending Dec. 19.
Four more updates:
1. The percentage of visits to an outpatient provider for flu-like illness was 1.5 percent for the week ending Dec. 19, similar to the weeks prior. This figure remains below the national baseline of 2.6 percent.
2. No new pediatric flu deaths were reported for the week ending Dec. 19. In total, one pediatric flu death has been recorded for the 2020-21 flu season.
3. The national flu and pneumonia mortality rate is 13 percent, which sits above the epidemic threshold of 6.7 percent. The majority of these deaths are attributed to COVID-19.
4. No states reported very high, high, moderate or low flu activity for the week ending Dec. 19. Forty-nine states reported minimal flu activity. Michigan was excluded because of insufficient data.
5. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for the flu at clinical laboratories was 0.1 percent for the week ending Dec. 19.
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