Flu: Influenza season is hitting earlier this year

Flu: Influenza season is hitting earlier this year

11/8/22 7:00PM

Influx‍

‍US hospitals could have a tough winter ahead, as flu hospitalizations reach their highest point since 2010 according to the CDC.

The early-season outbreak comes as health workers continue the ongoing battle against Covid and the rise of RSV, with officials warning that many hospitals ‘are at or near capacity’.

Pandemic-popularized precautions such as social distancing, regular handwashing, and wearing face masks, led to a remarkable period which, according to lab data compiled by the WHO, saw influenza infections almost disappear for 18 months. Influenza did eventually return in late 2021 and — unusually — stuck around into Spring 2022, though infections remained relatively low compared to previous years.

The early and extreme spikes in this latest outbreak, however, have led to speculation that the US could be in for its most-severe flu season in a long time. Last week, influenza A specimens (the infection’s most-common strain) were up to 7,568 — the most in a single seven-day period since March 2020.

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Tom Jones7/10/26

The most watched soccer match in US history got less than a third of the views the Super Bowl did

Between a top-spot finish in the group stage, a sweeping performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and the president’s controversial intervention, Monday evening’s USMNT game against Belgium had, to put it lightly, shaped up into a box-office clash.

And though the US players’ performance on the pitch might not have lived up to the high drama off it, American soccer fans certainly showed up. According to early estimates, the 4-1 defeat against Belgium was the most watched soccer telecast in US history, hauling some 40 million viewers on average across the coverage on Fox and Telemundo.

That may be a record tally in the US for the sport that much of the world calls some variant of “football” — besting the 36.2 million who tuned in to watch the team’s previous knock-out match — but it’s still peanuts in comparison to the sport that shares the same name in the States.

World cup viewers chart — Sherwood News

burning question

Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same

That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll.

Youth Climate Strikes Break Out Across The U.S.

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Reddit’s advertising business is getting bigger. It’s already booming.

The platform will plow more money into its ad offerings as it cements itself as a “trove of human intelligence.”

Tom Jones6/22/26

45% of Americans say they’re not taking a summer vacation this year, mostly due to costs

Flight comparison site Skyscanner is recommending some cheaper alternatives closer to home.

Bored annoyed man looking funny and angry during his summer staycations

Despite slight declines, Japanese tourism figures are still hovering around record highs

Tourism: Still big in Japan.

Aerial view of Tokyo cityscape with Fuji mountain in Japan.

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