https://hive.rochesterregional.org/2020 ... eason-2020
Final 2019/20 Flu Numbers
The final data on flu season 2019/2020 was released by the CDC in April as COVID-19 continued to spread throughout the United States.
Between October 1, 2019 and April 4, 2020, the flu resulted in:
39 to 56 million illnesses
410,000 to 740,000 hospitalizations
24,000 to 62,000 deaths
195 pediatric deaths
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/pr ... imates.htm
What does the cumulative burden of influenza for the 2019-2020 season mean?
The cumulative burden of influenza is an estimate of the number of people who have been sick, seen a healthcare provider, been hospitalized, or died as a result of influenza since October 01, 2018. CDC does not know the exact number of people who have been sick and affected by influenza because influenza is not a reportable disease in most areas of the United States. However, these numbers are estimated using a mathematical model, based on observed rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations.
CDC estimates that the burden of illness during the 2019–2020 season was moderate with an estimated 38 million people sick with flu, 18 million visits to a health care provider for flu, 400,000 hospitalizations for flu, and 22,000 flu deaths (Table 1). The number of cases of influenza-associated illness, medically attended illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths were lower than some more recent seasons and similar to other seasons where influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses dominated (7, 8).
The 2019–2020 influenza season was atypical in that it was severe for children aged 0-4 years and adults 18-49 years where rates of infections, medically attended illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths were higher than those observed during the 2017-2018 season, a recent season with high severity (7). The burden of influenza and the rates of influenza-associated hospitalization are usually higher for the very young and the very old, and while this was observed during the 2019–2020 season, rates of hospitalization in adults aged 18-49 years were the highest seasonal rates seen since the 2017-2018 season (Table 2). These rates mean that an estimated 15 million cases of influenza in younger adults (aged 18-49 years), which is the highest number of infections for this age group since CDC began reporting influenza burden estimates in the 2010-11 season.
CDC’s estimates of hospitalizations and mortality associated with the 2019–2020 influenza season show the effects that influenza virus infections can have on society. More than 52,000 hospitalizations occurred in children aged < 18 years and 86,000 hospitalizations among adults aged 18-49 years. Forty-three percent of hospitalizations occurred in older adults aged ≥65 years. Older adults also accounted for 62% of deaths, which is lower than recent previous seasons. These findings continue to highlight that older adults are particularly vulnerable to severe disease with influenza virus infection. An estimated 7,800 deaths (36% of all deaths) occurred among working age adults (aged 18–64 years), an age group for which influenza vaccine coverage is often low (9). This also underscores that influenza viruses can affect individuals of any age and prevention measures such as vaccination are important to reducing the impact of the seasonal epidemics on the population and healthcare system.