Flu season is in full force across the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there have been at least 24 million flu illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths so far this season.
Influenza usually peaks in the winter months, according to infectious disease epidemiologist and Chief Biopreparedness Officer of NYC Health and Hospital Dr. Syra Madad.
"Flu activity is going very strong across the United States," Madad said. "You're seeing multiple states with very high levels of flu activity. It's unprecedented in terms of the number of influenza-like illness that we're seeing at doctor's offices — highest in over a decade."
In the week ending Feb. 1, nearly 32 percent of flu tests came back positive, and 8 percent of emergency departments visits were attributed to the flu, according to CDC data.
Cases of Covid-19 and the respiratory illness RSV, which have similar symptoms, have been declining.
"There's a very robust monitoring surveillance system in place in the United States where we're able to see, 'Well what is causing these high levels of viral activity?' Madad said. "And right now, we are seeing influenza really overtake Covid 19 and RSV along with other viral illnesses."
Peak flu season arrived amid new concerns about the availability of government health data under the Trump administration.
The Trump administration froze communications at many health agencies on his second day in office. The freeze included press releases, guidance updates and social media posts from agencies including the CDC.
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The CDC resumed publishing its weekly Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday.
"The pause in health communications to the average American is still pretty significant," Madad said. "It makes you lose information that's happening locally in your community to make local decisions, whether you want to get a flu vaccine, whether you want to be more cautious as it relates to H5N1."
Virologist and professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Andrew Pekosz said the pause in health communications sets back academics who work in health care.
"Delays in communicating information from the government agencies put a little bit more responsibility on the individual academic investigators to go out and try to find some information," Pekosz said. "It slows down the whole process."
Health experts still say vaccines are the best protection against the flu, RSV and Covid-19, and say it's not too late to get vaccinated.
"Anyone who has not been vaccinated for flu this season should get vaccinated immediately," CDC spokesperson Paul Prince told the Scripps News Group in a statement. "Elevated flu activity is expected to continue for weeks and even months to come. There's still time for individuals and family to benefit from the flu vaccine this season."
