Flu arrives early in New York and Utah; officials urge shots
Health officials in New York, Utah and California say flu season is starting weeks ahead of normal. They are urging people to get a flu shot now, since it takes about two weeks to build protection. New York's health commissioner says the state has already reached regional spread, a level it usually doesn't hit this early.
Flu season is not waiting for cold weather this year.
New York's health commissioner, Dr. James McDonald, said this week that flu has already reached regional spread in the state. "Normally this time of the year, we're at sporadic spread," he told Spectrum News. He said vaccination rates are down from last year.
Utah is seeing the same early rise. Salt Lake County recorded 10 flu hospitalizations in the past two weeks, FOX 13 reported. "At this point in the season, we'd usually see one hospitalization a week at most," a county epidemiologist said. At Intermountain Medical Center, Dr. Tamara Sheffield told KSL that case counts now match what the area saw starting in November last year.
In California, Solano County's acting health officer, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, said cases are rising there. San Francisco has reported its first flu death of the season, he said.
The message is the same everywhere: get vaccinated now. The CDC recommends a yearly flu shot for everyone 6 months and older, ideally by the end of October. The body takes about two weeks to build protection after a shot, officials say. Nasal spray versions are available for some people, and Salt Lake County also offers high-dose shots for adults 65 and older.
COVID-19 and RSV are also circulating. In New York, officials expect all three viruses to peak at about the same time again this year. People can get flu, COVID and RSV shots at the same visit when each is recommended for them, a Kaiser Permanente doctor told The Vacaville Reporter.
Fewer people are rolling up their sleeves. Fewer than half of U.S. adults got a flu shot last season, figures cited by Solano health officials show. Yet the CDC estimates flu shots prevented 180,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths in the 2024-25 season.
Sheffield warned that the last two seasons brought the highest numbers of child flu deaths, and many of those children were healthy before.
What we know: Flu is rising weeks early in several states, and shots are widely available.
What we don't: How severe this season will be.
Where outlets agree KSL and FOX 13 Utah both report flu activity in the Salt Lake area is running weeks ahead of a normal season.
Where they differ Salt Lake County officials told FOX 13 Utah that flu usually does not start building until late December or January, while Intermountain's Dr. Tamara Sheffield told KSL last year's season was already picking up in November.