Influenza Rates ‘Very High’ In MI In Flu’s 2nd Wave

MICHIGAN — Influenza rates are very high in Michigan as a second wave of seasonal flu is putting pressure on doctors’ offices and urgent care clinics nationwide, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu cases were “high” or “very high” in 45 states and jurisdictions for the week ended Feb. 1 and are continuing to increase, the agency said. Nearly a third of the tests for flu were positive during the reporting period.

In Michigan, nearly 8 percent of patients who visited emergency rooms and urgent-care facilities had flu-like illnesses, as of Jan. 25 (the latest data available), up from 5.4 percent the week before, according to state data.

As of Monday, roughly 2.6 million Michiganders have received the flu vaccine, down 9 percent from this time last year, according to state data.

Last week, Corewell Health said the spike in flu activity across Michigan is causing longer wait times in its emergency rooms as some people are showing up to the ER without having severe symptoms.

The health facility urged people consider "other same-day care options" if they don’t have severe symptoms, struggling to breathe, feeling dehydrated or an inability to function.

Flu activity previously peaked in mid-December, then started climbing again in mid-January, according to the data.

This year’s flu season is the most intense in at least 15 years by one measure — the activity at doctors’ offices and clinics. The data released Friday showed the number of people seeking medical treatment for acute illnesses was clearly higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-2010, when a swine flu pandemic hit the nation.

About 24 million people have gotten the flu this year. Ten pediatric deaths were attributed to the flu during the reporting period, bringing to 57 the number of children who have from the illness. Overall, about 113,000 people have died of the flu this season.

The new data also showed that new cases of the flu are occurring at the same time people who were sick with the flu several weeks ago are seeking treatment for complications. About a third of hospitalized flu patients develop bacterial pneumonia within a few weeks of bouts with the flu.

Of course, other viral infections can be mistaken for flu. But COVID-19 appears to be on the decline, according to hospital data and to CDC modeling projections. Available data also suggests another respiratory illness, RSV, has been fading nationally.

The flu was most intense in the South, Southwest and western states. In Rochester, New York, the flu season has been intense but not necessarily worse than at the peak of other years, Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told The Associated Press.

She said there’s a lot of flu, but there’s also still a lot of RSV and a surprising number of babies with COVID-19.

“All of the respiratory illnesses are around, with a vengeance,” Murray added.

The CDC declined to let an Associated Press reporter speak to an agency flu expert about recent trends. The Trump administration ordered a temporary “pause” on health agency communications and has continued to refuse interview requests that were routinely granted in the past.

Late Friday afternoon, a CDC spokesperson acknowledged that the new data shows “the highest absolute value” of flu-like illness when compared with other seasons, but added that the statistic is complicated: That value references a baseline estimate for doctor’s office visits, but the baseline is recalculated every year. In late January, the CDC was describing the season as “moderate” in severity.

U.S. health officials recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccination. Only about 44 percent of adults got flu shots this winter, which is about normal, but vaccine coverage among children is way down, at about 45 percent this winter. Usually, around 50 percent of the nation’s children get a flu shot.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.