Flu hospitalization rate reaches highest weekly level since 2010 season

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 798 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated hospitalizations for the week ending Oct. 17. The weekly hospitalization rate was 1.1 per 100,000 population, similar to the previous week. The CDC said that after accounting for reporting delays, the estimated weekly hospitalization rate likely ranges from 1.5 to 2.0 per 100,000 population, marking the highest weekly rate since 2010-2011. The cumulative hospitalization rate was 2.1 per 100,000, which is more than 10 times higher than the rate observed during the same period last year.