Number of Flu Cases Lower Than Pre-pandemic Levels

March 21, 2022

The variety of influenza scenarios is increasing throughout the United States but has not strike pre-pandemic levels, the U.S. Facilities for Disease Handle and Security states.

A person of the positive aspect consequences of the COVID pandemic was a fall in flu instances, evidently since men and women have been isolating and social distancing. In the 2019-2020 period, a lot more 22,000 people today in the U.S. died from flu. Deaths decreased to about 700 for the 2020-2021 year.

For the 2021-22 flu time so significantly, the CDC estimates there have been 1,700 flu fatalities, 2.9 million flu situations, and 28,000 hospitalizations due to the fact of the flu.

“The cumulative hospitalization fee … is bigger than the level for the overall 2020-2021 year, but lessen than the fee found at this time for the duration of the four seasons preceding the COVID-19 pandemic,” the CDC reported in its weekly influenza surveillance report.

But the CDC observed that the amount of hospital admissions has absent up every single of the past six months. A few pediatric fatalities from flu ended up reported previous 7 days. For the 2021-22 flu season so considerably, there have been 13 pediatric fatalities.

The percentage of outpatient health practitioner visits due to the fact of respiratory sicknesses went up final week, but are continue to down below epidemic baselines, the CDC explained, noting that influenza is not the only respiratory ailment circulating.

Whilst the range of flu scenarios may differ by site, Oklahoma has claimed large flu activity as measured by doctor visits, and Arkansas and Idaho documented average action, the CDC explained.

A preliminary analyze posted in December mentioned that flu vaccines for the 2021-22 flu year aren’t furnishing as considerably as significantly protection as hoped for against the most commonly circulating strain of influenza. Nonetheless, the analyze reported it seems the vaccines will however stop extreme health issues in persons who are contaminated.

The vaccines were developed much in advance to fight the flu strains expected to dominate the United States during the 2021-22 flu season: H3N2, H1N1, and two strains of influenza B.

Flu year typically lasts from Oct to May in the northern hemisphere and April to September in the southern hemisphere.