Will we have a second wave of influenza?

It’s been a tough winter for respiratory illnesses. Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV have been circulating at high levels across the United States for weeks, and new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that respiratory virus activity remains high.

There are signs that coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus infections may be declining, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the latest data shows flu levels are rising again after a post-holiday dip. The number of people testing positive for influenza in the country increased by approximately 2% in the week of February 2 compared to the previous week. Flu activity is particularly high in several southern and mid-Atlantic states, with extremely high levels of activity in New Mexico, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, and New York City.

Dr. Rebecca Wurtz, an infectious disease physician and professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said it’s too early to tell whether the increase indicates we’ll have a second wave of flu this winter. “This time of year is a fluid state of affairs. We always expect production to increase at the beginning of the season because of the winter holidays, and then we expect production to decrease,” Wurtz said. But he added that it was not unusual for trends to “swing” in February.

In fact, February is typically an active time of year for influenza, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Schaffner said economic activity typically slows in March but “may remain at lower levels; sometimes even into April.”

The CDC estimates that at least 20 million people in the country have been infected with the flu so far this season. At least 230,000 people were hospitalized with the flu and 14,000 died.

It’s not too late to get your flu shot

Because flu season isn’t over yet and may continue for weeks to come, health experts say it’s not too late to get your flu shot if you haven’t already.

More than half of adults in the United States, about 53%, have not yet received this year’s vaccine, which protects against the influenza virus currently circulating. That rate dropped when looking at data for older adults, who are at higher risk for severe illness and flu-related complications, such as pneumonia. An estimated 33% of the population aged 60 or older has not yet been vaccinated this season.