At least 22 more children are known to have died from the flu, according to the latest report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which brings the total number of pediatric deaths from the virus up to 84 this season.
There were at least 148 flu-related pediatric deaths during the entire 2014/15 season, the last widespread and deadly H3N2 outbreak. The following years, where H1N1 was the predominating strain, the CDC recorded 96 child-deaths in 2015/16 and 110 in 2016/17.
The 22 pediatric deaths included in the latest data were found to have occurred during December, January and February.
Also, hospitalizations for people aged 65 and over jumped dramatically, from 59.9 per 100,000 to 294.9 per 100,000 for the week ending February 10.
The second most hospitalized group, people aged 50 to 64 also increased, from 63.1 to 72.8. Children aged zero to four rose from 40 to 47.1 per 100,000 by the end of the second week in February.
Flu illnesses, hospitalization and mortalities surpassed metrics from the 2014-15 season by early January, which was the peak of that season. Illnesses and complications from the virus have yet to abate.
The most recent statistics on adult mortality throughout the country dipped slightly, from 10.1 percent the week ending January 20 to 9.8 percent the following week. The CDC does not have specific numbers on adult deaths but relies on centers throughout the country that provides nationally representative samples of flu deaths and put in proportion with the total number of deaths around the country.
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