Flu season has started early on the West Coast, according to The Guardian and The Seattle Times. Doctors are urging people to get their flu shots now.

Flu usually picks up in December and peaks in February, The Guardian reported. This year, cases rose months sooner.

In California, about 1% of flu tests came back positive in early October during the past two seasons, The Guardian reported. As of October 10, the rate was 9.65%, according to state health data.

In Utah, there were 242 cases of influenza A as of October 11, up from 10 at this time last year, The Guardian reported. Parts of central Oregon have also seen a surge.

In Washington state, the Puget Sound area saw flu levels more common for December or January, The Seattle Times reported on October 19. King County emergency rooms usually see fewer than 50 flu patients a week at this time of year. In the first week of October, they saw more than 400, the paper said. Nine county residents have died of flu since late September.

At Seattle Children's, about 6% of emergency patients had the flu in early October, the paper reported. At that time last year, it was 0%. "This is kind of an unprecedented early season," said Erin Chung, a doctor there.

So far, flu patients have not seemed sicker than in past years, doctors said, according to The Seattle Times. But that could change in the coming months.

Vaccines can take up to two weeks to work, the paper said. This year's shots target H1N1, H3N2 and one influenza B virus, The Guardian reported. Scott Hensley, a microbiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said two of the three parts seem well matched to the strains now spreading. "It is probably a good idea to get vaccinated early," he said, according to The Guardian.

The Guardian noted that federal promotion of flu shots has been cut back under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

What we know: Flu is spreading on the West Coast far earlier than in past years.
What we don't: What is causing the early start, and whether the season will be worse.