A woman wears a mask while walking on a street in New York on Dec. 14. Health officials in New York City recently began recommending that people wear masks in public indoor spaces as well as in crowded outdoor areas due to the large number of cases of COVID-19, as well as the seasonal flu and RSV, respiratory syncytial virus. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
Dec. 23 (UPI) — Seasonal flu activity remains high heading into the Christmas holiday, but is on the decline, according to data published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were about 21,000 new hospitalizations for the week ending Dec. 17, which is down from the seasonal high of 26,000 two weeks earlier.
However, experts have warned that the number can tick back up after the busy holiday travel season.
It’s already been a busy flu season this year. The CDC estimates that there have been at least 18 million illnesses, 190,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
The cumulative hospitalization rate is more than six times higher than it has been at this point in the season in more than a decade.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases and professor of pediatric infectious disease at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado, told CNN it’s hard to predict what will happen since RSV and flu season both took off early — and they may already have peaked.
“Holidays do lead to sometimes a small, sometimes a modest spike in infections, with people gathering together indoors,” O’Leary said.
The country will also still have to contend with COVID-19, as well. While infection levels are far below prior surges, new hospital admissions have jumped nearly 50% over the past month.
U.S. health officials have been urging people to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19