Flu Crisis Worsens: 12,000 Hospitalized in Just One Week!

United States: Flu activity is increasing, and it was a slow start to the flu season in most parts of the United States.

However, the number of new cases went up by 12 percent in the week ending December 21 compared to before, and new data shared by the CDC on Friday shows.

More about the news

In nearly 9,000 the week before, more than 12,000 people were hospitalized due to the virus.

According to Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale New Haven Health, “We’re seeing upticks in both our inpatient hospitalizations as well as our community-based metrics such as percentage of emergency room visits and test positivity,” NBC News reported.

“I certainly expect they’re going to continue to go up since we’re really entering flu season right now,” Roberts added.

Generally, there is an early increase in flu activities during the end of October, particularly with Halloween, and it normally reaches its peak during February.

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— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) December 28, 2024

This year, however, the virus got a slower start, with activity only beginning to resurface in the most recent week.

It is unkind to know why that is, according to Roberts. Doctors are also noting the same trend in the Midwestern part of the country, where flu activity is also increasing.

“We’re still seeing the interplay of Covid here and how that is altering the other respiratory viral dynamics that we have,” he stated.

“We certainly are not back to the pre-Covid state of normalcy for most respiratory viruses,” he mentioned.

What more is the CDC stating?

According to the CDC, flu activity peaked in Louisiana and Oregon in the week ending December 20.

Intense activities were also seen throughout the South and along the West Coast. Influenza has caused an estimated 3.1 million illnesses, 37,000 hospitalizations, and 1,500 deaths up to this flu season, according to the CDC.

During the last flu season, the CDC said that the virus was responsible for 40 million illnesses, 18 million medical visits, 470,000 hospitalizations, and 28,000 deaths.

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READ: https://t.co/lRRoQgFTlJ

— Get the News (@dailybriefingHQ) December 28, 2024

Third, though elderly people and people with chronic illnesses are at a greater risk to end up seriously ill, anyone can become very ill indeed.

Referring to flu instances at Yale New Haven Hospital, Roberts said it was about fifty percent down from the flu rate seen at this point in the previous year and that he has been able to count the number of severe flu cases at the hospital.

This week, five children died from Covid, the CDC said.

These deaths include a total of nine children dying up to this year. Even Dr. Sara Siddiqui, a pediatrician who works at NYU Langone Health in New York City, reports increased cases of children who test positive for the influenza virus.