World Health Organization, Influenza statistics for North America and Canada are now available for the last week of 2012 and the first week of 2013, and are as follows.

These stats note a total of 16 fatalities being reported in the last 2 weeks of 2012.

North America
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Influenza activity in North America has increased sharply since the last report with Canada and the United States both reporting widespread transmission of influenza. Influenza activity in Canada continued to rise with increases in all indicators in the last 2 weeks.
The influenza-like illness (ILI) consultation rate increased from 4 percent at the time of the previous report to 6.6 percent, with the highest rate observed in children less than 5 years old, followed by 5-19 year olds. The percentage of samples that tested positive for influenza also increased from 17.8 percent to 31.1 percent. In the last 2 weeks, 127 new influenza outbreaks were reported: 87 in long-term-care facilities, 9 in hospitals, 1 in a school, and 30 in other facilities or communities. This represents a marked increase from the previous report of 22 outbreaks. 241 laboratory confirmed influenza associated hospitalizations were reported in 5 provinces; 97 percent (236/241) were influenza A, of which, half (117/236) were sub-typed. Of those with subtype information, 97.5 percent (114/117) were influenza A(H3N2) and 1.5 percent (3/117) were A(H1N1)pdm09. Just over half of these cases (51 percent, 123/241) were aged 65 years or older. 16 influenza associated deaths were reported in the last 2 weeks of 2012; all with influenza A. Influenza A continued to predominate in Canada, with very few detections of influenza B. Of the respiratory specimens that were positive for influenza in the previous reporting week, 97.7 percent (4525/4632) were positive for influenza A, and 2.3 percent (107/4632) for influenza B. Of the influenza A viruses that were sub-typed, 97.4 percent (1164/1195) were A(H3N2) and 2.6 percent (31/1195) were A(H1N1)pdm09. Since the start of the season, the National Microbiology Laboratory has antigenically characterized 177 influenza viruses (136 A(H3N2), 17 A(H1N1)pdm09, and 24 influenza B). The 136 influenza A(H3N2) viruses were antigenically similar to the vaccine virus A/Victoria/361/2011. The 17 A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses were antigenically similar to the vaccine virus A/California/07/09. Among the influenza B viruses, 20 were antigenically similar to the vaccine virus B/Wisconsin/01/2010 (Yamagata lineage) and 4 were similar to B/Brisbane/60/2008 (Victoria lineage; component of the previous 2011-2012 seasonal influenza vaccine). None of the viral samples tested were resistant to the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir (n=128) or zanamivir (n=127).

In the USA, the majority of influenza viruses detected were A(H3N2), however influenza B accounted for a larger proportion than in Canada. Of the 2961 influenza positive specimens in the last week of 2012, 79 percent were influenza A and 21 percent were influenza B. Of the influenza A viruses with sub-type information, 98 percent were A(H3N2). Since 1 October 2012, the CDC has antigenically characterized 413 influenza viruses. All 17 A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses tested were characterized as A/California/7/2009-like and 99.3 percent of the 279 A(H3N2) influenza viruses tested were A/Victoria/361/2011-like. Of the 115 influenza B viruses characterized 69 percent were B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like of the Yamagata lineage, the B virus component of this season's trivalent influenza vaccine, and 31 percent were of the Victoria lineage.
Since 1 Oct [2012], none of the 526 A(H3N2), 39 A(H1N1)pdm09, or 226 B viruses have been resistant to neuraminidase inhibitors.

No new human infections of novel influenza A virus were reported in the last week. A total of 312 infections with variant influenza viruses have been reported from 11 states since July 2012.

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07 Jan 2013 Influenza (04): WHO update