The positivity rate for influenza rose higher again this week to 8.3%, reaching one of the highest positivity rates of the season with cases of influenza A leading the way.
The higher influenza positivity rate translates to 3,942 positive cases out of the 47,705 samples tested in public health laboratories throughout the nation, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) FluView report shows.
Nationwide, 1.9% of patient visits to see healthcare providers were due to respiratory illness, the CDC report says. Influenza activity is highest in the central and south-central regions of the country and is trending higher in the northeast.
The CDC suggests that it is not too late to get vaccinated for the flu and continues to recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine as long as flu activity continues.
“An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against flu. Vaccination can prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick,” the report says.
The CDC also warns that other viruses are still circulating and sometimes result in co-infections: Of the 9,303 influenza positives reported this season by the public health labs and also tested for SARS-CoV-2, 489 (5.3%) were also positive for SARS-CoV-2.
