CDC's FluView update for Week 41, the week ending October 17, said the estimated weekly flu hospital rate likely ranges from 1.5 to 2.0 per 100,000 people. That is the highest weekly rate for Week 41 since the 2010-11 season, the CDC report said.

The observed rate that week was 1.1 per 100,000 before the agency adjusted for reporting delays, CDC said. The cumulative hospital rate through Week 41 was 2.1 per 100,000. Seasonal flu activity remains low across the country. Still, several indicators have been rising since late August and early September, CDC reported.

ABC News said the hospital rate is at its highest level for this time of year since the 2010 season, but is still relatively low. Adults 65 and older had the highest hospital rate, followed by ages 50 to 64 and children ages 0 to 4, ABC News reported from the CDC data. Most states still showed low or minimal activity, ABC News said.

CDC said early-season activity is higher than usual for this point on the calendar, even while overall activity stays low. Most subtyped flu A viruses in Week 41 were A(H1N1)pdm09, the agency said. ABC News also relayed CDC guidance that now is a good time to get a flu vaccine ahead of the colder months. Public health labs typed almost all flu A samples in Week 41 as H1N1, CDC said. One human H5N1 case was reported that week, with no person-to-person spread found in the United States, CDC added.

What we know: CDC estimates the Week 41 hospital rate at 1.5 to 2.0 per 100,000, the highest for that week since 2010-11, while overall activity is still relatively low.
What we don't: How fast hospitalizations will climb as the season moves into November and December.