Macomb Today

Flu testing decreased by 8.1% in the US during the week ending January 16 compared to the previous week, according to numbers being reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During the week ending January 16, 54,406 people were tested for the flu. In the same week of 2020, there were 64,896 people tested, 19.3% more than in 2021.

More people tested positive for type B influenza during the week than any other type of flu, with a total of 50 people infected with type B influenza.

There is an influenza division of the CDC whose responsibility it is to keep track of influenza activity year round. This group compiles and analyzes known cases in order to help states and local governments respond accordingly. The CDC establishes seasonal baselines on what they expect to see in regards to flu & pneumonia related deaths in a given week. For the week ending January 16, the seasonal baseline was 33.1% and the actual rate was 19.5%, meaning that the week was below the seasonal baseline. Figures can change and counts can be adjusted as new information is learned from each patient.

Week Ending	Total Tested	Total Positive	Total Infected %
11/14/2020	59,533	91	0.2
11/21/2020	57,526	95	0.2
11/28/2020	44,867	66	0.1
12/05/2020	59,416	110	0.2
12/12/2020	57,172	118	0.2
12/19/2020	55,452	124	0.2
12/26/2020	50,595	105	0.2
01/02/2021	52,259	113	0.2
01/09/2021	59,177	132	0.2
01/16/2021	54,406	74	0.1