US flu season showing signs of having peaked --CDC

US flu season shows signs of peak Twelve more pediatric flu deaths were reported, mostly caused by the H1N1 strain, raising the season's total to 98. CIDRAP

Flu activity in the United States has declined for the second week and a row, suggesting levels have peaked, though hospitalizations and other markers remain high and deaths in kids are nearing 100, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update.

Test positivity at clinical labs is trending downward but is still high, at 24.5%. Outpatient visits for flulike illness also declined but, at 5.8%, are still well above the national baseline for the 13th straight week. States still in the very high range include Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. ...

For COVID, emergency department (ED) visits are low with a continuing decline, and test positivity remains stable, at 4.3%, the CDC said. Wastewater levels are at the moderate range, and though detections are declining for all regions, they are highest in the Midwest, followed by the South.

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