Week 47 influenza & influenza-like illness (ILI) activity summary:

During Week 47, influenza and ILI activity remained at low levels across the state.

Influenza seasons vary in timing, severity, and duration. It is not possible to predict what the 2020-21 influenza season will be like in Florida.

Get your flu shot now. Annual vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from influenza and its potentially severe complications. Now is the perfect time to get vaccinated.

During the last four weeks, the percent of influenza-positive laboratory results remained low. It is still too early to say what strain will predominate during the 2020-21 influenza season.

Likewise, the percent of emergency department and urgent care center visits with discharge diagnoses that include influenza remained low in recent weeks.

No new influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported in Week 47.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends antiviral treatment be initiated as soon as possible for people with confirmed or suspected influenza who are at higher risk for complications (children <2 years, adults ≥65 years, pregnant women, and people with underlying medical conditions). Treatment should be administered within 48 hours of illness onset. For more information, contact your health care provider.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting health care seeking behavior, which may be impacting the ILI and influenza activity trends shown in this report. An overall reduction in the number of emergency department and urgent care center visits has been observed since March 2020, along with changes in the reasons for seeking care at these facilities.

Of note, some of the figures in this report that previously displayed chief complaints of ILI were updated to display discharge diagnoses of influenza to better reflect influenza activity trends in Florida. The Florida Department of Health will continue to make updates and provide clarification on the trends presented in this report as needed.