Flu season continues ramping up as post holiday cases tally up
MINNEAPOLIS -- As of Monday, there have been just shy of 1,150 hospitalizations for flu in the state of Minnesota since the start of this flu season, with expectations high that they will continue to rise following the Thanksgiving holiday.
With 1,147 hospitalizations so far, that figure has already surpassed the number of flu hospitalizations from the last two flu seasons combined.
The number of school outbreaks has now reached over 700, as well. There have also been 14 long-term care outbreaks.
The state's classification for outpatient flu-like illnesses has gone from "low" to "high."
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, about one in three molecular laboratory tests are coming back positive for influenza. The most common strain in the last week was either the A strain or unknown.