It’s peak season for fevers and runny noses, and when it comes to the flu, the illness has been rampant this year. In some areas, the flu has been so widespread, schools have even closed to help communities get well.
This week, local news outlets have reported school closures in at least 10 states due to higher than normal flu numbers. Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee, have all kept kids home in order to disinfect, and allow teachers and students time to get well.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data, 27 states and Washington, D.C., are experiencing “very high” flu activity levels, while 14 states are seeing “high” flu activity levels. Hospitalizations have been soaring, too. Just last week, there were an estimated 38,255 hospitalizations from the flu. Over the entire flu season, there have been 20 million cases reported, as well as 11,000 flu-related deaths.
Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said, per NPR, the flu is peaking for the second time this season. “Influenza activity first peaked around the turn of the new yearlate December, early January. Activity then declined for several weeks in a row, which is usually a sign that the season is on its way out,” Rivers says. “But then it really took an unusual turn and started to rise again. So activity is now at a second peakjust as high as it was at the turn of the new year. It’s unusual.”
Still, even in rough flu seasons, school closures due to the flu are rare. However this year, it has felt unavoidable in certain locations, like Northeast Ohio, where a number of schools closed over a staggering number of flu cases.
St. Hilary School in Fairlawn, Ohio, addressed its high flu numbers in a post on Facebook, announcing its closure this week, writing, “St. Hilary School will be closed Tuesday, February 4, with over 20% of students and 15% of staff out due to illness,” administrators wrote. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing many of the same illnesses currently prevalent in the general community. We will be disinfecting the building and expect to reopen Wednesday, February 5, but please watch for updates.”
While the flu is raging, other illnesses have felt more mild this year. COVID transmissions have been at their lowest yet this season. According to the CDC, only about 4 per 100,000 have been hospitalized during its seasonal peak. Last year, it was twice that at 8 per 100,000. Compared to the winter of 2021-2022, when there were 35 per 100,000, it feels like COVID is taking a backseat to the flu, at least for now.
