Weekly numbers show that 2% of U.S. deaths for week 5 were due to the flu. COVID was responsible for 1.5% of deaths in the nation, the numbers show.

Partial CDC data suggest that influenza deaths may have already reached as high as 2% of deaths for the week ending on Feb. 1, also surpassing COVID-19 mortality nationwide which was holding at around 1.5%. More complete data is expected to be published Friday.

A slimmed-down MMWR resumed publication last week but included none of the bird flu reports. Public health experts have criticized the unprecedented break in publication and the h

All age groups in the United States are experiencing a "high severity" of influenza cases among all age groups for the first time since the 2017-18 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Last year there were 207 pediatric deaths attributed to the flu, NBC News reported. The CDC said the number of cases is elevated and continues to increase. For the fifth week of the year, there were 4,377 cases reported with 4,264 being influenza A and 113 being B. The highest number of cases were found in 10 states and New York City.