The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the annual flu season has reached widespread levels in 43 states across the country. It’s being felt all up and down the East Coast, including Florida, and is also hitting children especially hard this year.

According to the CDC, influenza has killed 21 children this season. Still, the highest rate of hospitalizations was reported among adults over 65 years old. The CDC said there were 3,441 cases of flu from October 1 to December 27 and that more than 96 percent of those cases were influenza A.

Locally, Miami-Dade County said flu was responsible for nearly 6 percent of ER visits from December 28 to January 3. Statewide, 39 Florida counties reported increases in flu activity while 22 counties said the flu activity is at a plateau.

The Florida Department of Health said the most commonly found type of influenza this year was influenza A (H3). The Department of Health said that it’s too early to tell if this flu season will be worse than years past, but “season when influenza A (H3) predominantly circulates are often associated with higher morbidity and mortality particularly in the elderly and very young.”

The CDC said the only states not reporting widespread influenza were: California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Maine.