During the 2022 influenza season in the Southern Hemisphere, influenza vaccination reduced the risk for A(H3N2) virus hospitalization by 49%, according to a report in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Flu activity in Chile may have been reduced by high vaccine coverage and strict community mitigation strategies. While influenza activity in the Southern Hemisphere does not necessarily predict what will happen in the U.S., flu surveillance in this country has detected early increases in seasonal flu activity as of October 2022 and the 2022-23 influenza vaccine being used in the U.S. includes the same H3N2 component.
Racial and ethnic disparities in the use of ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid) are reported in a second MMWR article. Among nearly 700,000 patients with COVID-19 who sought medical care during January–July 2022, the proportion who were treated with ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir increased substantially over time (0.6% in January 2022 to 34% in July). Compared to White and non-Hispanic patients, the percentage of patients treated with ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir was 36% and 30% lower among Black and Hispanic patients, respectively. The expansion of programs focused on equitable outpatient COVID-19 treatment, including raising patient awareness using trusted sources, educating clinicians and other prescribers, and expanding patient access to prescribers, can facilitate equitable health outcomes, the authors write.
