Overview
- CDC data through the week ending Jan. 10 show sharp declines in flu hospitalizations and a smaller drop in outpatient visits for flu-like illness.
- Thirty-four states still report high or very high activity, with test positivity at 18.6% and 5.3% of outpatient visits for respiratory illness.
- Season-to-date estimates include about 18 million illnesses, 230,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths, including at least 32 children.
- Roughly 90% of sampled A/H3N2 viruses are the drifted subclade K, which differs from the vaccine strain but does not eliminate protection against severe disease.
- The CDC classifies the season as moderately severe and notes COVID-19 and RSV have not shown large national surges.