Overview
- Germany’s RKI logged about 20,500 lab‑confirmed influenza cases for Jan. 5–11, with more than 80,000 this season and 225 deaths largely among people over 60.
- Genomic surveillance shows Subclade K now dominates recent H3N2 detections in Germany, while sentinel testing found roughly 43–55% of respiratory samples positive for influenza and H1N1 also circulating.
- Italian clinicians report roughly 800,000 new infections in the first week of January and hospitals operating at or near capacity.
- California’s health department confirms Subclade K is spreading in the state, with influenza hospitalizations reaching a season high of about 3.8 per 100,000 residents in early January.
- Experts say Subclade K can partially evade existing antibodies, increasing reinfections, but current vaccines are still expected to reduce hospitalizations, with preliminary effectiveness estimates around 52–57%.