Overview
- The CDC labels the season moderately severe, estimating more than 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths so far.
- All but two states—Montana and Vermont—reported high or very high flu activity for the week ending Dec. 27, with record outpatient visits since the 1997–98 season.
- Florida reports very high influenza-like illness, with South Florida hospitals and urgent care centers seeing more patients than in prior years.
- Miami-Dade has shown a recent dip in ER visits for flu-like symptoms and a slight decline in urgent care flu visits, though experts say it is too soon to call a trend.
- Experts report the H3N2 subclade K dominates recent cases and may reduce vaccine effectiveness, yet they advise vaccination, prompt antivirals for eligible patients, masking if desired and staying home when sick.