ST PAUL, Minn. — *Editor's note: The above video first aired Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.
The number of Minnesotans hospitalized from the flu has dropped by one-third since last week, but school outbreaks and cases in long-term care facilities have risen in the most recent Minnesota Department of Health weekly influenza report.
According to the report, 382 people were being treated for the flu at a hospital, which is down from 563 hospitalizations the week prior. In total, 2,306 cases have required hospital treatment so far this season.
RSV hospitalizations for young children (ages 4 and under) have dropped to less than 60 cases, about 30 fewer from the previous week.
The fewer hospitalizations comes at a time when Minnesota health care facilities had been reaching capacity.
"This is the time of the year people are congregating more indoors, and just in contact more during warmer seasons. It's just that time of the year when these illnesses spread quickly," Allina Health Vice President Clinical Officer Ryan Else told KARE 11 last week.
While hospitalizations have declined across the state, school outbreaks have been reported in 117 schools, 41 more outbreaks than the week before. Cases in long-term care facilities also rose by one in the most recent report.
As of last week, influenza vaccination numbers were low. MDH reported just 33% of Minnesotans had gotten a flu shot, a massive drop from 2021-22 when the CDC's FluVaxView reported a 57.7% vaccination rate for Minnesota.
Find a flu vaccine provider near you, here.
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