battering millions with snow, ice and rain after the system swept across the country. we re tracking it. the major new wave of russian missile strikes across ukraine. widespread power outages. our team on the ground there tonight. twitter abruptly suspending several high-profile journalists who cover owner elon musk. the reason the billionaire gave for the bans. kids sharing their wishes with the santa inspiring america. announcer: this is announcer: this is nbc announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening. the cdc reporting flu activity remains high and covid cases are on the rise. just as a projected 113 million americans gear up to travel this holiday. officials say last week alone there were 23,000 patients with the flu admitted to hospitals. for the season the worst in a decade
23,500 people were hospitalized for flu last week and the cdc says flu activity is still high, but appears to be declining in some areas. rsv and flu infections are at their highest levels in years. covid-19 infections are on the rise, but having come close to previous surges. joining me now to discuss the effect this is having on hospitals and patient care is dr. andrea hadley, chief of pediatric hospital medicine in grand rapids, michigan. dr. hadley, i really appreciate you coming on. it seems like the perfect storm. there s a shortage of staff. there s not enough hospital beds in place and now we re experiencing the surge of respiratory illnesses. how is your hospital coping right now? what s the scene like? yeah. thank you for having me. children s hospitals across the country have really seen a tidal wave of patients with these respiratory infects that
the biggest threat to your holiday celebrations. we re talking about these throw viruses that are rapidly spreading across the country. covid, the flu, and the respiratory illness known as rsv. the cdc just reported flu activity is still high despite some areas seeing declines. so, so far this season, we ve seen 15 million infections, 150,000 hospitalizations, and over 9,000 deaths tied to the flu. fouurther compounding the problem, rsv has been raging and covid may be on the verge of a winter comeback. dr. fauci underscored how crucial vaccines are in this triple threat. it doesn t have to the new normal for the simple reason that we have good countermeasures for two out of those three, and the three you are referring to is covid, influenza and respiratory
the virus has caused 150,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths. the number of flu vaccines distributed at this point continues to lag behind the past two years. the cdc finds covid is also showing signs of a winter comeback. 14% of the u.s. is in a high transmission covid area, but that s higher than last week. cnn s medical correspondent is with us now. let s start with the flu numbers. they show young children are being hit hard. what do they show? yes, victor, new cdc data suggests flu activity is still high but may be declining in some areas. last week about 23,500 people were admitted with the flu, which was a slight drop from the week before. overall, the flu hospitalization rate is the highest in a decade. the hospitalization rate is highest among seniors and young kids under 5, as you mentioned.