We need the medical profession and its entire industries to be REQUIRED, by state laws, to make a standard set of conditions reported to the states - (a) seasonal flu diagnosis, (b) positive tests for any “seasonal flu” virus(es) (quite often not even tested), (c) hospitalizations for URI conditions stemming from/related to “seasonal flu”, (d) deaths from conditions related to a respiratory illness related to “seasonal flu”. And then we need the CDC to (a) get their data from the states and (b) quit making “estimates”.
Because we don’t already have enough stupid reporting and paperwork requirements in medicine.