Weekly Flu Report, May 6, 2022

Massachusetts Department of Public Health weekly influenza update

Table of Contents

This week's report

Highlights

  • Influenza severity for Massachusetts is moderate this week.
  • The percent of influenza-like illness (ILI) visits in Massachusetts is 2.62%, which is higher than the regional baseline of 2.0%.
  • The percent of hospitalizations associated with influenza is 1.16%, which is higher than previous seasons.
  • Overall ILI activity is moderate. The Central region is reporting high ILI activity; the Northeast, Southeast and West regions are reporting moderate ILI activity; the Boston, Inner Metro Boston and Outer Metro Boston regions are reporting low ILI activity. 
  • Laboratory-confirmed influenza cases decreased by 8% this week. More influenza A than influenza B positive specimens have been reported by hospitals and outpatient facilities in Massachusetts. For influenza A, the predominant strain is currently H3N2.
  • The number of influenza vaccine doses administered this flu season is comparable to last season in the same week. The vaccination rate for all ages is 48%. See figure 6 and 7 for vaccination data.
  • Nationally, seasonal influenza activity continues to increase in parts of the country.
  • Additional statewide and national data including geographic spread, ILI activity, and pneumonia and influenza mortality are available at CDC’s FluView Weekly Report at www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly and FluView Interactive https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluviewinteractive.htm.
  • Statewide and national COVID data are available at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

It’s not too late to get vaccinated. Flu vaccination is always the best way to prevent flu and its potentially serious complications.

Additional Resources

Date published: May 6, 2022

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