Minnesota's brutal flu season eases slightly, but hospitalizations remain high
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Minnesota's head-splitting flu season rages on, though there are signs in the latest state data that the peak could be behind us.
The big picture: The worst flu season in 15 years has left hundreds of thousands of Americans hospitalized while straining physicians' offices and emergency departments.
- The virus is causing more severe complications and hitting young children especially hard this year.
The latest: Data released by the Minnesota Department of Health on Thursday shows that hospitalizations, deaths and reports of patients seeking care for influenza-like illnesses all dipped for the week ending Feb. 15.
Yes, but: Viral activity statewide remains "high," health officials warn, and the state is still on track to end the season with the most flu hospitalizations in over a decade.
Zoom out: This flu season is classified as "high-severity," with estimates of at least 29 million cases, the most since the 2009-10 season, according to the latest CDC data.
- Nearly every state is reporting high or very high flu activity.
By the numbers: Just over 6,100 people in Minnesota have been hospitalized with the flu this season, an increase of 40% or more over the last two years.
- In the metro, the total number of hospitalizations is roughly double what it was at this point in recent years, as the chart above shows.
What they're saying: Carol McLay, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, told Axios that the two predominant strains right now "are known to be more severe and have more severe outcomes, especially in high-risk patients."
- "It's really clogging up our ERs and our outpatient facilities."
Stunning stat: Influenza has surpassed COVID-19 in hospitalizations and deaths for the first time since the COVID pandemic began," McLay said.
Between the lines: This flu season may be made more severe because rates of seasonal flu vaccination have been falling in recent years for some groups, including children.
- About a third of Minnesotans are considered up to date on their flu shots this year, per MDH.
The bottom line: Though flu season often peaks in the winter, it can last through April or May.
- With a lot of virus still going around, experts say it's not too late to get vaccinated.