Weekly Flu Report, May 6, 2022

Massachusetts Department of Public Health weekly influenza update

This week's report

View the current weekly flu 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

Weekly Flu Report, May 6, 2022 (Accessible)

Date published:	May 6, 2022