The week ending December 27th recorded over 33,000 hospitalizations due to the influenza virus, according to the recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published on January 5th. This current surge, characterized by its steady trajectory, is not expected to level off any soon, as per Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, an Infectious disease specialist from Mass General Brigham, Boston. The number of hospitalizations recorded a significant jump from the previous week that reported 19,000 cases. Weekly hospitalization rates, assessed per 100,000 populations, also escalated from 7.6 to 8.4.
While the flu season has witnessed substantial increases in hospitalizations, emergency visits, and outpatient visits, experts anticipate it to peak later this month or early February. The deviation from usual patterns – with the peak occurring earlier driven by the early rise of cases this year – is quite noteworthy. Another point of concern is the quick succession of flu cases, as expressed by Dr. Jennifer Goebel from Northwell Health’s South Shore University Hospital, citing how their hospital started to register a marked uptick in flu cases around Thanksgiving.
The CDC estimates a minimum of 11 million flu cases, 120,000 associated hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths so far this season. The pediatric flu deaths alone are recorded at nine. The levels of flu-like illnesses were identified as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ for the week ending December 27th across most states. Only a few states like Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia reported low or moderate activity levels, while Nevada lacked enough data to establish activity levels. H3N2 viruses, particularly a mutated strain ‘sublade K’ believed to be at the core of the current surge, are the most reported influenza viruses this season. There isn’t strong evidence towards increased severity caused by this strain, but the mutations do make it challenging for the immune system to identify, pushing the rate of infection higher.
Despite concerns around the efficacy of this year’s flu shot due to this new strain, experts continue to insist on vaccination as a critical factor in preventing severe illnesses. Amid these pressing circumstances, hospitals and health systems are leaning heavily on established strategies like enforcing mask mandates and restricting visitor entry to curtail the spread and alleviate pressure on the available capacity. Health systems like Phoenix-based Banner Health and several New York-based institutions have introduced mask recommendations and stringent visitor policies in response to this sudden surge in influenza cases.
Source: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/public-health/when-flu-season-may-peak-5-updates/