Flu

How bad are flu, COVID-19 and RSV? These charts show how respiratory viruses are spreading in the US

Spring is nearly here, but the 2023-24 respiratory virus season isn’t over yet. Viral activity from flu, COVID-19 and RSV has fallen from the peak, but levels remain elevated.

FILE - A sign for flu vaccination is displayed on a screen at a pharmacy store in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Early estimates suggest flu shots are performing OK in the current U.S. winter flu season. The vaccines were around 40% effective in preventing adults from getting sick enough from the flu that they had to go to a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, health officials said during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccines meeting Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Flu shots are doing OK vs. virus, US numbers indicate

Pope Francis appears at the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at The Vatican for the traditional Sunday noon blessing of faithful and pilgrims gathered in the Square for the Angelus prayer, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. Pope Francis had canceled an audience scheduled for Saturday as a precaution after coming down with mild flu, the Vatican press office said in a short statement, without adding further details. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The pope delivers Sunday prayers from the Vatican window a day after suffering a mild flu

Patrick Cantlay watches his putt on the 13th green during the second round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)

Patrick Cantlay builds a 5-shot lead at Riviera. Tiger Woods makes early exit with flu symptoms

FILE - A sign for flu and covid vaccinations is displayed at a pharmacy store in Palatine, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. The flu is hanging on in the U.S., intensifying in some areas of the country after weeks of apparent decline., according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Flu hangs on in US, fading in some areas and intensifying in others

Pope taken to hospital for tests

Pope Francis, who has been suffering from the flu, was brought to a hospital in central Rome after the papal audience on Wednesday, leaving again after a short period. (Feb 28).

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How to stay healthy during cold, flu and COVID-19 season

More hospitals are requiring masks as flu and COVID-19 cases surge

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FILE - A pedestrian wears a heavy coat against the cold in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. January can be the worst month for respiratory illnesses and vaccination rates are low. When relatives, friends and co-workers are coming down with coughs, nasal congestion, fatigue and fever, keeping viruses at bay means thorough hand-washing, good ventilation and wearing a mask in crowded areas. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

How to stay healthy during cold, flu and COVID-19 season

Getting through winter healthy means trying to protect yourself from respiratory viruses. January can be the worst month for these illnesses and vaccination rates are low.

FILE - A sign for flu and covid vaccinations is displayed at a pharmacy store in Palatine, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse but it's too soon to tell how much holiday gatherings contributed to a likely spike in illnesses. New government data posted Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 for the previous week _ the holiday week between Christmas and New Year's _ show 38 states with high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses with fever, cough and other symptoms. That's up from 31 states the week before. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Flu and COVID infections got worse over the holidays, with more misery expected, CDC says

The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse with 38 states reporting high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses. That’s up from 31 states the week before.

CORRECTS TO TAIKWAN WRIGHT, NOT FRANK COPE - Taikwan Wright waits outside while his nephew is treated for asthma in the ICU in Bellevue Hospital in New York on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2023. The previous week, New York City resumed a mask mandate for the city’s 11 public hospitals. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)

More hospitals are requiring masks as flu and COVID-19 cases surge

More U.S. hospitals are requiring masks and limiting visitors as health officials face a post-holiday spike in flu and other illnesses.

First child flu death of season reported in Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Health on Friday confirmed the state’s first pediatric flu death of the season.

FILE - A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center in Lynwood, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Health officials say flu and COVID-19 infections are expected to accelerate in the coming weeks, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, fueled by holiday travel and gatherings, low vaccination rates, and a new COVID variant that seems to spread more easily. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Flu and COVID infections are rising and could get worse over the holidays, CDC says

U.S. health officials say flu and COVID-19 infections are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks. They say the increases will be fueled by holiday gathering, low rates of vaccinations and the latest version of the coronavirus that appears to spread more easily.

FILE - A patient is given a flu vaccine Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. Seasonal flu continues to pick up steam in the U.S. But among respiratory viruses, COVID-19 remains the main cause of hospitalizations and deaths, health officials said Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Flu is on the rise while RSV infections may be peaking, US health officials say

U.S. health officials say flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections may be peaking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that COVID-19 remains the main cause of hospitalizations and deaths in the country.

FILE - A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center in Lynwood, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. On Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. flu season is underway, with at least seven states reporting high levels of illnesses and cases rising in other parts of the country. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

The flu is soaring in seven US states and rising in others, health officials say

U.S. health officials say at least seven states are seeing high levels of the flu and that cases are rising in other parts of the country.

FILE - A Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a pharmacy in Cypress, Texas on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Fall 2023 vaccination season is in full swing, with health officials in the U.S. urging both an updated COVID-19 shot and flu vaccine for most everyone. New this year are vaccines for older adults and women in late pregnancy to guard against another virus named RSV. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

What to know as fall vaccinations against COVID, flu and RSV get underway

Fall vaccination season is in full swing, with health officials urging both an updated COVID-19 shot and flu vaccine for most everyone.

Barcelona vs Juventus preseason game canceled after Spanish squad hit by gastroenteritis

Barcelona’s preseason match against Juventus in Santa Clara on Saturday has been canceled after Barcelona players fell sick.

FILE - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration building behind FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency's campus in Silver Spring, Md., on Aug. 2, 2018. The FDA has approved the first combination test for flu and COVID-19 that can be used at home, giving consumers an easy way to determine if a runny nose is caused by either disease. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FDA authorizes combination flu-COVID test for home use

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first combination test for flu and COVID-19 that can be used at home, giving consumers an easy way to determine if a runny nose is caused by either disease.

FILE - A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. Early estimates suggest the flu vaccine performed unusually well in a U.S. winter flu season that has already dissipated, health officials said during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccines meeting Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Flu vaccine worked well in season that faded fast, CDC says

Early estimates suggest the flu vaccine performed well in a U.S. winter flu season that has already dissipated.

Olivari scores 28, Rice knocks off FlU 85-78

MIAMI (AP) — Quincy Olivari scored 28 points as Rice beat Florida International 85-78 on Saturday night.

1st pediatric-related death in Maricopa County this season

PHOENIX (AP) — Health officials in Arizona’s largest county have confirmed the first pediatric-related death this season in the Phoenix metro area.

FILE - A patient is given a flu vaccine at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. Doctors tend to worry that holiday gatherings can spark new surges in infectious diseases like the flu. But new government data suggests that didn't happen this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 reported that flu has continued to wane this month. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Holidays didn’t lead to feared bump in flu cases, CDC says

New U.S. government data suggests holiday gatherings didn’t spark surges in respiratory diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that visits to doctors’ offices for the flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week.

FILE - Legislator Hussein al-Husseini, a former parliament speaker waves his hand as he leaves the parliament building after he announced he was quitting his parliamentary seat to protest an Arab-brokered deal that produced a Cabinet of opposing factions, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. Husseini died Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 after days of illness, he was the father of the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended the country's 15-year civil war. He was 85. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Father of peace deal that ended Lebanon’s civil war dies

BEIRUT (AP) — Hussein Husseini, Lebanon’s former parliament speaker and the father of the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended the country’s 15-year civil war, died Wednesday after days of illness.

Jessi Stout, owner of the Table Rock Pharmacy fills a prescription on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Morganton, N.C. Drugstore chains are still trying to find enough employees to put a stop to temporary pharmacy closures. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Drugstores make slow headway on staffing problems

Drugstore chains are still trying to find enough employees to put a stop to temporary pharmacy closures.

FILE - Ambulances wait outside the Royal London Hospital in east London, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gathered government ministers, medics and health service managers in 10 Downing St. on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 for talks aimed at fixing a health care crisis that has seen thousands of patients stranded outside overflowing hospitals. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

UK leader calls crisis meeting over struggling health system

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is gathering government ministers, medics and health service managers in 10 Downing St. for talks aimed at fixing a health care crisis that has seen thousands of patients stranded outside overflowing hospitals.

FILE - A nurse prepares a syringe of a COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation station in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, July 19, 2022. On Friday, Dec. 30, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming the COVID-19 vaccines “are a gene therapy." (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: A photo of a combination COVID-19 and flu test does not prove that the two viruses are the same.

FILE - Flu vaccines are lined up at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. As of December 2022, the CDC estimates there have been at least 190,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths from flu so far this season. The deaths include at least 17 children. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Flu starting to wane in US after brutal start to season

Flu is decreasing in many parts of the country after an alarmingly early and strong start to the season.

FILE - A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. The Biden administration announced it will release doses of prescription flu medicine from the Strategic National Stockpile to states as flu-sickened patients continue to flock to hospitals and doctor's offices around the country.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

As flu rages, US releases medicine from national stockpile

The Biden administration says it will release doses of prescription flu medicine from the Strategic National Stockpile to states as flu-sickened patients continue to flock to hospitals and doctors’ offices around the country.

Flu deaths rise to 40 in Washington state, vaccines urged

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The flu is spreading at a high rate in Washington state with deaths at higher rates than are usually seen at this point in the season, according to health officials.

Kentucky on track for worst flu season in at least a decade

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Andy Beshear reported six flu-related pediatric deaths Monday as health officials warn that Kentucky is on pace for its worst influenza season in at least a decade.

FILE - Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, second from right, and former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, second from left, receive doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a vaccination site at a Minnesota Vikings NFL football team practice facility on March 30, 2021, in Eagan, Minn. Fewer than 20% of Minnesotans are current on their COVID-19 shots ahead of the Christmas holiday, and health officials said Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, that has them worried. (AP Photo/Mohamed Ibrahim, File)

Fewer than 20% of Minnesotans are current on COVID-19 shots

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Fewer than 20% of Minnesotans are current on their COVID-19 shots ahead of the Christmas holiday, and health officials said Tuesday that that has them worried.

Some Albuquerque-area hospitals dealing with a patient surge

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Some hospitals in the Albuquerque area are taking measures to free up more space amid a surge of patients that are pushing some hospitals beyond their licensed capacity.

Hoosiers urged to get flu vaccine amid surge in flu cases

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — State health officials urged Indiana residents Monday to get vaccinated soon against influenza as hospitals face a surge in cases during a flu season that’s already claimed at least two dozen lives.

Maricopa County sees large spike in flu, COVID-19 and RSV

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s most populous county is warning of a significantly rise in cases of the flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) passes the ball past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Lakers lose star Davis with flu-like symptoms, fall to Cavs

Los Angeles star center Anthony Davis was forced to leave Los Angeles’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after the first quarter and his teammates struggled without him in a 116-102 loss.

Some Indiana hospitals retrict visitors over flu rates

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The hospitals in Indiana’s largest health system and in its most populous county have begun visitor restrictions because of a rise in reported cases of flu and other respiratory viruses, they announced Monday.

Dead pelicans lay on the beach, as another struggles to walk, on Santa Maria beach in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. At least 13,000 pelicans have died so far in November along the Pacific of Peru from bird flu, according to The National Forest and Wildlife Service (Serfor) on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Pelicans dying as bird flu outbreak spreads to Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An outbreak of bird flu in pelicans has authorities in Venezuela taking emergency efforts to protect poultry producers.

FILE - A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. On Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits the previous week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Flu season worsens as 44 states report high activity

The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse. Health officials say 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses.