Influx
US hospitals could have a tough winter ahead, as flu hospitalizations reach their highest point since 2010 according to the CDC.
The early-season outbreak comes as health workers continue the ongoing battle against Covid and the rise of RSV, with officials warning that many hospitals ‘are at or near capacity’.
Pandemic-popularized precautions such as social distancing, regular handwashing, and wearing face masks, led to a remarkable period which, according to lab data compiled by the WHO, saw influenza infections almost disappear for 18 months. Influenza did eventually return in late 2021 and — unusually — stuck around into Spring 2022, though infections remained relatively low compared to previous years.
The early and extreme spikes in this latest outbreak, however, have led to speculation that the US could be in for its most-severe flu season in a long time. Last week, influenza A specimens (the infection’s most-common strain) were up to 7,568 — the most in a single seven-day period since March 2020.
