A sign indicating flu and covid vaccines is displayed at a pharmacy on Sept. 13 in Palatine, Illinois (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
NEW YORK — The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse but it’s too soon to tell how much holiday gatherings contributed to a likely spike in illnesses.
NEW YORK (AP) — U. S. flu season is getting worse, but it’s too early to say how much holiday gatherings have contributed to a likely accumulation of illnesses.
New government data released Friday from last week, the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s, shows that 38 states have high or very high degrees of respiratory illnesses accompanied by fever, cough and other symptoms. That’s an increase from 31 states last week.
The measure likely includes people with COVID-19, RSV and other winter viruses, and not just flu. But flu seems to be increasing most dramatically, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We expect him to remain a leader for several more weeks,” said Alicia Budd of the CDC. So far, however, it’s been a mild flu season, he said.
Interpreting flu reports during and after the holidays can be tricky, she noted. Schools are closed. More people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to go see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.
Flu season peaks between December and February; CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said she expects that point to peak later this month. Officials say this season’s flu vaccines are well suited to the strain that spreads the most.
According to CDC estimates, since the beginning of October, there have been at least 10 million illnesses, 110,000 hospitalizations, and 6,500 deaths from flu so far this season. The agency said 27 children have died of flu.
COVID-19 illnesses may not accumulate as temporarily as the flu this winter. CDC data indicates that hospitalizations caused by the coronavirus have not reached the same levels as in the past three winters. Still, COVID-19 sends more people to the hospital than the flu, according to CDC data.
Lauren Ancel Meyers of the University of Texas said the country is experiencing a COVID-19 buildup after a minor peak in September.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty about when and how this existing surge occurs,” said Meyers, who leads a team that forecasts COVID-19, flu and RSV trends.