Minnesota's flu levels remain high, but hospitalizations decline
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Flu activity remains high in Minnesota, though the latest data shows that confirmed cases and hospitalizations are going down in the state.
The big picture: The worst flu outbreak in more than a decade has left nearly every state with high or very high levels of flu activity, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports.
Zoom in: About 500 people in Minnesota were hospitalized with influenza last week, per a Department of Health update released Thursday. That's down from the previous week's high of 559.
- The number of positive flu tests submitted by hundreds of hospitals and clinics also dropped last week.
Of note: Positive tests for RSV, a cold-like virus that can be especially dangerous for young children and older adults, ticked up slightly, but remained lower than last month.
Between the lines: Public health experts say that masking and other pandemic precautions largely kept influenza at bay over the past two years, Bettelheim reports.
- The return to pre-pandemic life has left us "immunologically naïve" and more susceptible to infections, immunologists told Nature.
Yes, but: Experts caution they still don't know a lot about seasonal viruses and continue to grapple with questions like how much COVID-19 has weakened the public's immunity.
What to watch: MDH spokesperson Doug Schultz told Axios via email that it’s too early to say with any certainty whether the season has peaked.
- "We often see dips from week to week during the course of the season, so we want to look for a sustained decline over several weeks to really know where we’re headed," Schultz wrote.
The bottom line: It's not too late to get a flu shot. A jab now should give you protection by the holidays.