CDC FluView Week 41: Flu Hospitalization Rate Hits Highest Mid-October Level Since 2010; Positivity Rises to 5.7%
ATLANTA — The CDC's FluView report for Week 41, released Friday, October 23, showed the estimated flu hospitalization rate for the week ending October 17 at 1.5–2 per 100,000 — the highest Week 41 rate since the 2010–11 flu season — while test positivity rose to 5.7%.
According to Becker's Hospital Review's summary of the official CDC report, FluSurv-NET, which covers about 10% of the U.S. population, recorded an actual weekly rate of 1.1 per 100,000, unchanged from the prior week; after accounting for reporting delays, the CDC estimates the Week 41 rate likely falls between 1.5 and 2 per 100,000, the highest for that point in the season in 15 years. Adults 65 and older had the highest rate at 7.4 per 100,000, followed by ages 50–64 at 2.3 and children 4 and younger at 1.7. Hospitals separately reported 4,811 lab-confirmed flu admissions to the National Healthcare Safety Network.
Clinical labs reported 5.7% positivity, up from 5% the prior week; of 241 influenza A viruses subtyped by public health labs, 99.2% were H1N1 and none were H3N2. Flu diagnoses accounted for 0.9% of emergency department visits, stable from the previous week; flu-like illness made up 2.2% of outpatient visits, below the 2.9% national baseline. The CDC continues to recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. (GSM, from Becker's Hospital Review's summary of the official CDC FluView report)
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 甲型H1N1流感病毒显微图。照片：Scarzmouche，公有领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Influenza A (H1N1) virus (micrograph). Photo: Scarzmouche, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
