When will we Hit Peak Flu Season?

January 14, 2026

After a busy start to the flu season, Pennsylvania saw some encouraging trends as hospitals continue to manage high levels of respiratory illness.

The amount of acute respiratory illness leading to health care visits remains high, but there are some positive signs, per state and national data.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Overall trend:  Seasonal acute respiratory illnesses remain high around the nation, with many people needing support from their health care provider or emergency care for their symptoms.
• Flu in Pennsylvania:  Flu activity is decreasing rapidly in Pennsylvania, but could increase again next week, per state data updated through Saturday.
  • The percent of emergency department visits with a flu diagnosis was moderate across the state.
  • About 4 percent of emergency visits included a flu diagnosis, which is down from 7 percent two weeks ago.
• COVID-19:  COVID-19 activity remains stable, but also could increase next week, according to the state dashboard. The percentage of emergency department visits with a COVID-19 diagnosis (1.19%) remain low and there were 838 new adult and 64 new pediatric hospital admissions through the start of the year.
• RSV:  RSV is decreasing slightly, with 7,624 cases reported since the start of the season. Emergency department visits with an RSV diagnosis remain low (0.39%).
• A Super Flu?:  The so-called “super flu” is not a formal medical term, but the subclade K variant has made its presence felt this year, and is responsible for about 90 percent of seasonal cases.

Additional insights about this year’s flu season at the state and national level are available online. Read additional insights about flu season in this blog from the Healthcare Preparedness Digest from HAPevolve.