Health officials warning Georgians about widespread, early flu season
ATLANTA - Georgia is seeing the highest flu rates across the entire nation, and state and local health officials are warning that the upcoming flu season is likely to be a challenging one.
The most recent report from the Georgia Department of Public Health shows that 35 people in metro Atlanta are hospitalized with flu-like illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already classified the spread in the state as high - the most reported across the entire country. Health officials are also saying they're seeing a rise in cases much earlier than normal. The flu season usually starts at the end of November.
Dr. Cecil Bennett, the medical director for Newnan Family Medicine and Associates, says he’s seeing a surge in the flu other respiratory viruses, including the common cold on top of COVID.
"There’s no doubt there’s an increase in the number of flu cases," Bennett said "Usually patients come in with run-of-the-mill symptoms, cough, congestion, headache, fever."
State health officials are also a warning Georgians who are 65 and older or those who have chronic medical conditions could develop serious complications.
Right now Bennett says there's another factor at play.
"We’re also in asthma season. I think that also is playing a role in the number of adults and children who are having severe reactions to this flu season," Bennett said.
Officials at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta say they are seeing an unprecedented number of patients in their emergency rooms. Dr. Bennett says metro Atlanta hospitals, already strained during the pandemic, could be in for a tough flu season, especially since Wellstar announced it is closing Atlanta Medical Center.
"Having one less hospital in the system does not help at all," he said.
Health officials are urging all Georgians to protect themselves by getting the flu shot as soon as possible.
A doctor vaccinates a child with a flu vaccine in Seville (Andalusia, Spain. (Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images)
"Every individual over the age of six months should get a flu vaccine – not just for their own protection, but to protect others around them who may be more vulnerable to the flu and its complications," says Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., the Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner. "It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body, so now is the time to get a flu shot."
Anyone wanting a shot can get one at a local Kroger store. The grocery chain is offering an incentive too. Eligible customers will receive a $5 coupon.
The shots are available at Kroger pharmacies in more than 2,200 locations and over 200 "Little Clinic" locations.
The promotion runs until Nov. 5. Both Walgreens and CVS are offering similar deals.
Health leaders urge people to get that flu shot even before Halloween and definitely ahead of the holiday season when people will be traveling and gathering with family members.