Flu cases, hospitalizations continue to rise in Georgia

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Health leaders in the state are warning about a surge in cases and hospitalizations from the flu.   

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 10 people have died from the flu and 1,582 have been hospitalized for it since October 7th.   

 And according to the CDC, just in the span of a couple of weeks, Georgia has risen to the highest category of flu activity in the U.S.   

"We're seeing cases go up very dramatically in the State of Georgia," said Jodie Guest, Professor and Senior Vice Chair in the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. 

She confirmed that this surge in flu cases and hospitalizations has happened very quickly and very recently.   

"We're one of the 11 states in the country right now that are at a very high risk for flu. And that is a change that we've seen in the last two weeks. Georgia was not previously in this high risk group and now has risen to that. And we're seeing about an 11% increase per week for the last 2 to 3 weeks," Guest said.     

Holiday travel is one factor.  

Guest says another factor heading into this winter season is historically low flu vaccination rates.   

"We have seen a drop off on our traditional rates of flu vaccine, which are also not where we would want them to be normally," she said.   

Guest says public health officials are also worried about how early in the winter season this surge is happening.   

"This is also a little bit earlier than we tend to see severe flu in the state of Georgia. And so that makes us concerned about what the rest of the winter season might look like," she said.   

And with heightened risks of COVID and RSV happening simultaneously, Guest says there’s no better time to get vaccinated.   

"The triple threat is COVID, flu and RSV, and we are seeing all of it being pretty active this winter…it is not too late to get your flu vaccine…if you haven't received your flu shot yet or even your new COVID shot, now is the time to get both of those things," Guest said.   

Guest said besides getting your shots, if you feel respiratory illness symptoms, stay home and avoid gathering in public places.  

She says you should also get tested to see what you’re dealing with.  

"You can to go to a doctor and ask for a triple or quad tests where you can look for COVID, RSV and both types of the flu."