The share of flu tests coming back positive rose from 3.9% to 5% in the week ending Oct. 10, the CDC’s first FluView report of the 2026-27 season shows. ED visits and outpatient visits for flu also climbed.
Seasonal flu activity remains low, but test positivity, outpatient visits for flu-like illness, ED visits with a flu diagnosis and lab-confirmed hospitalizations have all been rising since late August or early September. Activity is highest on the West Coast, and the CDC said early-season levels are higher than typical for this time of year but within expected seasonal variation. Influenza A(H1N1) accounted for 96.4% of the influenza A viruses that public health labs subtyped during the week.
Here are six things to know:
- Clinical labs reported 2,270 positive specimens, or 5% of those tested, up from 3.9% the week prior. Positivity rose nationally and in HHS Regions 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and held stable in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10.
- Zero point eight percent of ED visits carried a flu diagnosis, an increase from the previous week. Visits rose among children 4 and younger and ages 5 to 17 and held steady among adults. Last week’s report put the share at 0.6%.
- Flu-like illness accounted for 2.1% of outpatient visits, an increase from Week 39 but below the national baseline of 2.9%. One jurisdiction reached moderate activity and five were at low activity, up from none and two, respectively, the week before.
- Hospitals reported 4,024 lab-confirmed flu admissions. The admission rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people was stable compared with Week 39. Admission rates rose among children 4 and younger and adults 65 and older. Adults 65 and older had the highest rate at 3.8 per 100,000, followed by children 4 and younger at 1.3.
- Eight H1N1 viruses carried mutations that reduced inhibition by oseltamivir. That is 3.1% of the 259 H1 viruses tested since May 24. None showed reduced susceptibility to baloxavir, peramivir or zanamivir.
- Of 74 H1N1 viruses antigenically characterized, 94.6% were well recognized by antisera to the vaccine reference virus. All H3N2 and B/Victoria viruses tested were also well recognized. No pediatric flu deaths have been reported for the 2026-27 season.
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