Influenza and COVID-19 Updates

Author: PDI Healthcare Clinical Team

October marked the start of the 2021-2022 Influenza season. This year presents unique challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s more important than ever to ensure you are protecting your health and the health of your loved ones with proper infection prevention measures. PDI is invested in providing you with the most up-to-date information as it becomes available. Please continue to visit this page for ongoing updates regarding the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Influenza virus!

U.S. Influenza Activity: Review of 2020-2021 Influenza Season ²

• Flu activity was unusually VERY LOW, only 0.2% of specimens tested were positive for influenza.
• 193.8 million influenza vaccinations were given during the 2020-2021 flu season, which is the most ever given during any flu season.
• Influenza A strains account for about 37.5% of total circulation, which is lower than prior flu seasons. Influenza B accounted for the other 62.5%.

U.S. Influenza Activity IS INCREASING- Week ending January 1, 2022

• As of January 1st, reports of Influenza-Like Illness are increasing (and varies by region); hospitalizations are also increasing.
• Approximately 3.8% of specimens tested are positive for Influenza. Majority of viruses are Influenza A (H3N2).
• As of January 1st, 4.8% of outpatient visits were for Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), which is above the national baseline.
• 19.9% of deaths were attributed to pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19, which is more than the epidemic threshold of 6.9% for this time period.
• 0 pediatric deaths have been reported during the 2021-2022 Flu Season.

U.S. COVID-19 Activity- Data as of January 6, 2022 ¹

• As of January 6th, there have been 57,898,239 cases of COVID-19 in the United States.
• There have been 829,740 total deaths in the United States.
• As of January 6th, there have been 725,247,503 tests reported. Of those, 58,282,100 have been positive, and currently, the 7-day positivity rate is 27.24- which is an almost four-fold INCREASE from the last update.
• As of January 6th, the 7-day average is 1,236.4 new cases per 100,000 people. This is an almost five-fold increase from the last update.

Helpful Prevention Tips:

• Consider getting your influenza vaccination
• Ensure that you’re practicing social distancing measures: mask-wearing, hand hygiene, & enhanced cleaning to protect you and your loved ones. This is helpful in COVID-19 and Influenza prevention.
• CDC now recommends everyone ages 18 and older should get a booster shot. Please visit the CDC website for additional information.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 years. CDC now recommends that children ages 5 through 11 get a COVID-19 vaccine.
• On December 1, CDC released a Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory for the new SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern: Omicron (B.1.1.529). The HAN can be found here. While the science around this variant rapidly unfolds, layered prevention strategies should be used to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission including vaccination, masking, improving ventilation, social distancing, handwashing, and viral testing.