The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that of the more than 1,800 cases confirmed by lab reports since the start of the 2019-2020 flu season, 75% have been identified as type B, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That trend is in line with national statistics. Scott Pauley, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the newspaper it’s the first time since the 1992-1993 flu season that influenza B has been identified more often than influenza A nationally. Pauley said that could mean a less severe season in terms of deaths, but still a strong one. The CDC, which recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive a flu vaccine, said  it does not yet have vaccine effectiveness estimates for this season. So far there have been 255 reported pneumonia- and influenza-associated deaths reported by the Virginia Health Department this flu season, the newspaper reported. There have not been any reported pediatric deaths.
Less common flu strain prominent this year in Virginia.