The flu is approaching its peak – and Israelis are not getting vaccinated

In the network of community clinics where samples are taken and the data is collected, half of the tests of the patients who arrived with a winter illness were found to be positive for influenza, the vast majority for influenza type A subtype K. On the other hand, the rate of positive samples for corona remains low.

There is also a sharp increase in hospitals. During week 50, 484 new positive cases of influenza were reported among those hospitalized in 14 general hospitals, almost all of them for type A influenza. Molecular characterization carried out in the Ministry of Health laboratories indicates that the dominant strain is A H3N2, with most of the samples belonging to subtype K, a strain that is also known from international reports as the cause of particularly active flu seasons.

Most of the hospitalized are adults, mainly in internal wards, but children and pregnant women are also included in the data. From the beginning of the season to week 50, over 2,200 hospitalizations with laboratory confirmation of influenza were reported in the monitored general hospitals. The data shows that the flu does not remain only within the boundaries of the community, but quickly translates into burdens on the hospital system.

Alongside this, the Ministry of Health also reports on associated mortality: so far, 52 cases of death have been recorded among hospitalized patients who were confirmed to have the flu within 30 days of diagnosis. Most of the deaths were recorded among those aged 65 and over, and especially those aged 85 and over. The Ministry of Health emphasizes that it is not possible to determine in all cases whether the flu was the main cause of death, but the data emphasize the high risk in the elderly population.

Despite the sharp increase in morbidity, influenza vaccination rates in Israel are relatively low. According to the data of the Ministry of Health, by mid-December only 1.53 million insured people had been vaccinated. Among those aged 65 and over, the vaccination rate is very low and stands at only about 50%. In the other age groups, including children, pregnant women and chronic patients under the age of 65, the figures are even lower.

Worldwide, the flu outbreak is also at its peak: the World Health Organization reports high flu activity in the Northern Hemisphere, with positive sample rates over 10% in many countries in Europe, America and Asia. In the United States, data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicate an increase in visits to clinics, hospitalizations and morbidity rates related to the flu, where the name of the dominant strain is also A H3N2 from the new K substrain.

As recalled yesterday, the Ministry of Health recommended that at-risk populations, including those aged 65 and older and patients with chronic diseases, consider wearing masks in closed places and in gatherings. It was also recommended that medical staff and visitors to nursing homes and geriatric institutions wear masks.