GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The flu season this year has ranked as one of the country’s worst in nearly a decade, including in West Michigan.
Doctors Report, which collects data from almost one million doctors’ offices from across the country, has listed 27 metro areas according to the severity level of the flu. The report uses a scale from 1 to 10 — with 10 being most severe.
The severity of the flu in the United States is 9.5 for the third consecutive week, according to the Doctors Report Illness Tracker. Last week, a government reportshowed visits to doctors for flu symptoms surpassed every winter flu season since 2003.
Drawing from a national database of flu cases over the past seven days, the Grand Rapids-Wyoming metro area ranked a 9.5. It tops the “very high” list along with Atlanta, Boston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, New York City and Orlando.