there was one very high incidence of influenza cases In this week’s update, across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention winter respiratory virus seasonAccording to statistics, this year flu cases have arrived late compared to the last two years.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Annual waves of influenza have increased during colder months several weeks earlier than in many pre-pandemic seasons.

According to the health agency, flu trends this year have been consistent with the 2019-2020 season, reaching peak levels around the New Year. Some of the highest levels of influenza have now been reported in western states, many of which are already above the peaks recorded during the worst of last winter’s flu seasons.

Oregon has three times as many cases as in last year’s peak season

This year, CDC data shows that about 8.4 percent of emergency room visits in late December involved the flu — three times more than last season.

Although last year also the cases were more, but this year they are much more. Data shared by Oregon General Hospital states that more than a thousand cases of influenza were treated in November and December of 2024, up from 251 cases during the same months in 2023.

The daily number of flu patients in hospital is now the highest in recent years, second only to the record increase during the 2022-2023 season.

No pandemic this year

Even if experts are to be believed flu numbers are increasingthere is There is no possibility of a repeat of the triple pandemic This year. COVID-19 levels are rising in some parts of the country, but the overall numbers are much lower than in previous years.

The CDC last estimated that it was most COVID-19 infections are from XEC The variants, which officials have said are closely related to the previous strain. The LP.8.1 strain that variant trackers are also monitoring closely still makes up less than 1 in 10 cases.

Waste water monitoring is called

CDC’s Wastewater Surveillance Says that the level of Covid-19 across the country has crossed medium to high level. Viruses are at their worst in wastewater across the Midwest, although they are well below the peaks seen during last winter’s wave.

In the Midwest, Indiana ranks as the state with the largest share of emergency room visits with COVID-19, though they are a fraction of influenza visits and down from last winter’s peak.

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