China’s flu activity declines with H3N2 remaining dominant strain

China’s flu activity has been declining over the past two months and remains at a low level, Wang Dayan, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Tuesday.

Wang said the flu positivity rate at sentinel hospitals, the number of reported cases, and clusters of infections have all continued to decrease. The H3N2 subtype of influenza A remains the dominant strain, while the proportion of the Victoria lineage of influenza B has been rising slowly.

She also noted that the positivity rate for respiratory syncytial virus is declining, while the rate for rhinovirus has fluctuated within a certain range. Positivity rates for other monitored respiratory pathogens, including the novel coronavirus, remain generally low, she added.