No new flu deaths reported; fatalities in state stand at 12

Arkansas reported no new flu deaths last week, according to a report from the Department of Health.

As of Saturday, the season's death toll remained at 12. Ten of the deaths have been in people over age 65, data shows.

Levels of reported "influenza-like illness" activity also did not change from the previous week. They remained at "minimal," the lowest possible level.

Providers reported 136 additional flu cases to the Health Department, for a count of 1,400 since late September.

That likely represents only a small part of flu cases in the state since most are not reported, officials have said.

No nursing homes have reported flu outbreaks this year. That compares with 306 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities that have reported cases of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, during the pandemic.

Average school absentee rates -- a measure regulators track to watch for emerging flu outbreaks -- fell slightly when compared with the previous week, from 7.3% to 6.7%.

Those rates were highest in Sevier, Yell and Jackson counties.

Influenza remains "unusually low" nationally, experts have said, but that could change. The season's timing varies each year.

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