Experts for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wonder if we have passed the peak of flu season. That’s because the CDC’s sentinel system reported reduced flu activity from several states in early January. 24 states are reporting high levels of influenza-like illness. Another 16 have moderate levels of infection and five are reporting low levels of flu activity. That represents a drop from late December. Perhaps this means that the flu has peaked early and will gradually taper off over the coming weeks. That would be good news for the doctors and nurses and trenches staffing overburdened ER departments around the country. Some hospitals are so overwhelmed that they have had to put patients in hallways and even turn away others because they do not have adequate capacity. The city of Boston and the state of New York have declared public health emergencies due to widespread influenza infection.
Here’s a map of the CDC data.
The People's Perspective on Medicine