Flu-related hospitalizations increased slightly last week and there were three new deaths from the disease, but case data still shows a continued overall decline.
The latest report, covering the week of Dec. 31, shows 95 hospitalizations, up slightly from the 87 reported the previous week, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
After a decline in outpatient visits last week from a seasonal high of more than 10%, the latest report shows a continued decline, down to just over 7.6%, a drop from about 9% reported last week.
The number of positive tests continued to drop. The latest report cited 1,849 positive results, which is down from 2,794. The week before last showed a seasonal weekly peak of 3,200 positives.
Maine CDC’s severity map, which labels how severe the disease is by county based on deaths and hospitalizations, showed only a small difference.
Six counties, compared to five last week — Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford, Waldo, Hancock and Lincoln counties — were labeled “very high,” the most severe category. Washington and Penobscot counties were labeled “high,” and Somerset, Androscoggin, Cumberland and Kennebec counties were considered “moderate.”
Nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “seasonal influenza activity remains high but continues to decline in most areas.”
The latest CDC report, which covers the week of Dec. 24, states “there have been at least 20 million illnesses, 210,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 deaths from flu” since the season began on Oct. 3, 2022.
