Flu cases surge to highest levels since 2009 as vaccine rates lag

This is the time of year when you would expect a lot of respiratory illness, but if this year seems exceptionally worse, it is.

Walgreens is reporting prescriptions for flu antivirals increased 204% compared to the same time last year. Experts say this disturbing trend may have to do with the number of people who didn't get a flu shot. Flu usually peaks in February, but when cases will start to drop this year is anyone's guess.

The number of people visiting doctors for flu-like illnesses is at the highest levels since the 2009 swine flu epidemic.

"With flu this season, there's not just one strain of flu that's dominant that's going around. But there's actually three strains going around at the same time," said Dr. David Bronstein, an infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente Antelope Valley.

Which means people can get it twice. Nationwide the flu test positivity rate is at 31.6%. L.A. County is closing in with a positivity rate near 29%, the highest of the season so far.

"So the cough, runny nose, congestion, body aches fever, but turning into something worse, like pneumonia. We've seen cases of the flu going into the heart, flu going to the brain," he said.

Flu deaths continue to surpass COVID deaths this week for the first time since the pandemic started. So far 16,000 Americans have died from the flu, 68 of those deaths in children.

"Even if we just vaccinated all the children out there, we would see a tremendous decrease in the amount of flu that we see," Bronstein said.

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 45% of U.S. adults received the flu vaccine. And 47.5% of residents in California got the flu shot.

"By this time of year we should be above 50%. I think it's been challenging to get people vaccinated, and I think that's going to be an ongoing concern," he said.

Health officials expect flu activity to remain at peak levels in the coming weeks, which means it could stick around until spring.

The good thing is, we still have lots of flu vaccines available. It is absolutely not too late to protect yourself with the flu vaccine," Bronstein said.

This year's vaccine contains two influenza A strains, H1N1 and H3N2 and a B strain which is all very similar to what he's seeing out in the community.