According to new data released by CDC, so far during the 2018-2019 season between about 6 and 7 million people have been sick with flu, up to half of those people have sought medical care for their illness, and between 69,000 and 84,000 people have been hospitalized from flu.  This is the first time these estimates— which cover the period from October 1, 2018 through January 5, 2019— are being provided during the flu season. The CDC estimates that as of Jan. 5:

• 2 to 7.3 million people have been sick with flu,
• 9 to 3.5 million people have been to the doctor because of flu, and
• 69,300 to 83,500 people have been hospitalized because of flu

(CDC, Jan. 11, 2019)