New government figures show that??flu cases??seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity??is declining in most regions although??still rising in the West. 
 
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very young or old. The season's first flu case resistant to treatment with Tamiflu was reported Friday. 
 
 Eight more children have died from the flu, bringing this season's total pediatric deaths to 37. About 100 children die in an average flu season. 
 
 There is still vaccine available although it may be hard to find. The CDC has a website that can help. 
 
 ___ 
 
 CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ ||||| Story highlights Burt Reynolds went to a hospital after developing flu symptoms, his representative says 
 
 He was dehydrated and moved to intensive care, the representative Erik Kritzer says 
 
 "He is doing better at this time," Kritzer says Friday afternoon 
 
 Actor Burt Reynolds is in intensive care in a Florida hospital, where he went for treatment of flu symptoms, one of his representatives said Friday. 
 
 Reynolds was dehydrated when he went to the hospital, and was eventually transferred to its intensive care unit, his representative Erik Kritzer told CNN. 
 
 Kritzer declined to divulge what hospital the actor was in, saying, "He would like that (kept) private." 
 
 "He is doing better at this time," Kritzer said late Friday afternoon of the 76-year-old actor. "We expect, as soon as he gets more fluids, he will be back in a regular room." 
 
 Born in southern Georgia, Reynolds and his family moved to Michigan and eventually to southeastern Florida, according to his profile on the website of the Florida Artist Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted in 1993. At Palm Beach High School, he first made a name for himself as a football star and earned an athletic scholarship to Florida State University. 
 
 JUST WATCHED 2000: Burt Reynolds on his 64th birthday Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 2000: Burt Reynolds on his 64th birthday 01:24 
 
 When injuries derailed his promising athletic career, Reynolds turned to acting. He scored small parts in the late 1950s, then broke through a few years later in the role of Quint on the TV series "Gunsmoke." 
 
 His career took another leap with the 1972 release of "Deliverance," in which he played an Atlanta businessman exploring the remote north Georgia wilderness with friends. "The Longest Yard" came out two years later, starring Reynolds as an ex-football player who lands in prison. 
 
 These roles earned Reynolds' fame and box office mojo, all while he gained the reputation as a ladies man connected with some of Hollywood's most eligible actresses. 
 
 His charismatic notoriety soared through the late 1970s and into the 1980s, during which he spearheaded the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" movie franchises. He earned a People's Choice Award in 1979, 1982 and 1983 as all-around male entertainer of the year, and was picked as favorite motion picture actor on that show in 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1984. 
 
 While his popularity waned relatively, Reynolds continued to score movie and TV roles into the 1990s. That included on "Evening Shade," where he earned an Emmy in 1991 playing Wood Newton -- once again, a former football player. 
 
 His lone Oscar nomination came in 1998, in the best supporting actor category, for his portrayal of pornographic film producer Jack Horner in the film "Boogie Nights." 
 
 Aside from his acting, Reynolds cultivated a prominent public profile through TV commercials, public appearances and more. He also developed a reputation as a philanthropist, especially in his home state of Florida, where he helped found the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre. ||||| Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images 
 
 Burt Reynolds, we're pulling for your recovery—and getting a good laugh from your PR camp. 
 
 The Smokey and the Bandit star has been hospitalized in Florida with a severe case of the flu that landed him in the intensive care unit with severe hydration. 
 
 Happily, Reynolds' rep told E! News on Friday, "He is doing better. They are taking care of him and his mustache." 
 
 Yes, the rep really said that. 
 
 Burt Reynolds braved quintuple bypass surgery in 2010 
 
 The 76-year-old actor, an Oscar nominee for Boogie Nights and erstwhile star of the CBS sitcom Evening Shade, most recently contributed his voice, as himself, to the quirky animated FX series Archer. 
 
 May Reynolds—whose mustache indeed contributed to his sex-symbol status in the 1980s—feel better soon! 
 
 UPDATE: Reynolds' rep told E! News Saturday the star's "fever is down and we believe he should be taken out of ICU very soon." 
 
 (This article was originally published on Friday, Jan. 25 at 3:33 p.m.) 
 
 —Reporting by Marcus Mulick 
 
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– This year's flu has its most high-profile patient: Burt Reynolds. The 76-year-old actor is in a Florida intensive care unit after becoming dehydrated, reports CNN. A representative says he is doing better, however, and should be in a regular room soon. ("They are taking care of him and his mustache," he tells E! Online.) Nationwide, the CDC says flu cases are leveling off in most places, though they are still increasing in the West, reports AP. Meanwhile, a nasty stomach bug is spreading across the US, too.