There have been at least 4.6 million influenza-related illnesses, 39,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths in the 2019-20 flu season in the U.S., according to the CDC's FluView report.
Six things to know:
1. The numbers have seen a major uptick since the Dec. 20 FluView report, which showed 3.7 million illnesses, 32,000 hospitalizations and 1,800 deaths.
2. The number of pediatric deaths due to the flu has increased from 19 to 22.
3. Flu-like illness is increasing around the country, with 25 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and New York City all experiencing high levels. Six states — Delaware, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio and Vermont — are experiencing minimal flu-like illness activity.
4. Thirty-nine states are reporting widespread flu activity, and nine are reporting regional flu activity.
5. Nationwide, 5.1 percent of patient visits to healthcare providers were due to influenza-like illness, which has been above the national baseline of 2.4 percent for seven straight weeks.
6. The overall hospitalization rate was 6.6 per 100,000 people. Last week, the hospitalization rate was 5.5 per 100,000 people.