Flu is hitting these 10 states the hardest
States in the South and Southwest are being hit the hardest this flu season
New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas topped Walgreens' list of states with the most flu activity for the month of January.
States in the South and Southwest are being hit the hardest this flu season, according to the Walgreens Flu Index. Here's the complete list:
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Wyoming
- Nebraska
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
- Mississippi
"While flu activity tapered off in the first couple weeks of 2020, it has shown continued increase for the final weeks of January," the company said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC. | 17.60 | -0.21 | -1.18% |
Walgreens Flu Index found that flu activity was up compared to the same timeframe in 2019. The index measures the incidence levels of the flu among populations, not flu severity.
Louisiana was the first state to really get hit hard, with doctors there saying they began seeing large numbers of flu-like illnesses in October.
The influenza vaccine.
Last flu season started off as a mild one but turned out to be the longest in 10 years. It ended with around 49,000 flu-related deaths and 590,000 hospitalizations, according to preliminary estimates.
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It was bad, but not as bad as the one before it, when flu caused an estimated 61,000 deaths and 810,000 hospitalizations. Those 2017-2018 estimates are new: The CDC last month revised them down from previous estimates as more data — including actual death certificates — came in.
In both of the previous two flu seasons, the flu vaccine performed poorly against the nasty predominant virus.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.