According to Time.com, the U.S. may have hit 1 million swine flu cases. Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), made the 1 million estimate in a presentation to a vaccine panel in Atlanta. The number is based on mathematical modeling that uses data from surveys by health officials.
The United States has roughly half the world's swine flu cases, with nearly 28,000 reported to the CDC so far. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths. Here are some interesting stats: The average age of swine flu patients is 12, the average age for hospitalized patients is 20, and for people who died, it was 37. It seems to be deadliest to people 65 and older, with deaths in more than 2 percent of elderly people infected.
So, do you think more people will be getting the flu vaccine this year? I'm willing to bet that people who normally don't get the flu vaccine will definitely want to get it this year. It's possible that the swine flu vaccine may be given in two separate doses, 21 days apart. To read the full story at Time.com, click here.
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