Flu activity remains high, but decreased for a second week in a row, according to CDC data - CNN

CNN  — 

Seasonal flu enactment remains precocious successful the United States, but continues to dilatory successful astir parts of the country, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospital admissions for flu decreased for the 2nd week successful a enactment past week. There were astir 21,000 caller hospitalizations for the week ending December 17. That’s down from a play precocious of much than 26,000 caller admissions 2 weeks earlier, which was the week pursuing Thanksgiving.

Despite these improvements, it’s not wide that the microorganism has peaked. Respiratory microorganism enactment remains “high” oregon “very high” successful astir each state, and experts pass that things whitethorn tick up again arsenic vacation question and gatherings continue.

The CDC estimates that determination person been astatine slightest 18 cardinal illnesses, 190,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths from flu truthful acold this season.

The cumulative hospitalization complaint is much than six times higher than it has been astatine this constituent successful the play successful much than a decade.

And flu is acold from the lone microorganism successful circulation; a stew of different respiratory viruses has been spreading for weeks, driving an unusually precocious fig of hospitalizations.

As of Friday, infirmary capableness remains adjacent grounds levels with astir 77% of beds successful usage nationwide.

RSV has peaked successful the US arsenic trial positivity rates and caller hospitalization rates person slowed implicit the past month, and play RSV hospitalizations person dropped dramatically implicit the past month. But hospitalizations are inactive somewhat higher than normal.

Covid-19 levels stay acold beneath anterior surges, but trends are decidedly connected the emergence crossed the United States: New infirmary admissions person jumped astir 50% implicit the past month.

Dr. Sean O’Leary, seat of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee connected Infectious Diseases and prof of pediatric infectious illness astatine the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado, told CNN it’s hard to foretell what volition hap since RSV and flu play some took disconnected aboriginal – and they whitethorn already person peaked.

The vacation tin inactive thrust an summation successful illnesses.

“Holidays bash pb to sometimes a small, sometimes a humble spike successful infections, with radical gathering unneurotic indoors,” O’Leary said.

US wellness officials person been urging radical to get vaccinated against the flu and Covid-19, deterioration masks successful higher hazard situations and absorption connected manus washing.

White House Covid-19 effect coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha has urged radical to instrumentality to 1 regularisation of thumb, successful particular: “If you are feeling sick, you should enactment home.”