New Brunswick health officials reported another drop in flu activity during the second week of this year.
Public Health said there were five hospitalizations recorded between Jan. 8 and 14, down from 30 the previous week.
That brings the total number of hospitalizations so far this flu season, which began on Aug. 28, to 858.
Health officials were reporting as many as 146 new hospitalizations per week in early December.
One more death was reported during the latest one-week period, bringing this season’s total to 60.
Health officials said 36 positive cases were also confirmed that week, down from 108 the previous week and more than 1,000 per week in early December.
There have now been 4,289 confirmed cases of influenza since the current flu season began.
According to the report, influenza activity at the national level also continues to decline.
“Influenza activity is now at levels typically seen in late spring/early summer,” it said.
Numbers so far this season are trending much higher than all of last season, which saw 92 hospitalizations, five deaths, and 442 cases.
During the 2018-19 flu season — the last full season before the pandemic — New Brunswick reported 3,008 lab-confirmed cases of influenza, 619 hospitalizations and 38 flu deaths.
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