According to the health departments of Camden and Glynn counties, flu activity is currently very high in Georgia.
On a scale of 1-13, Georgia is at a 13 according to the latest report released from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
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The health departments in Glynn and Camden counties are each offering FREE flu shots for uninsured and underinsured children and adults as long as supplies last.
The health department is waiving the vaccine administration fee for individuals without health insurance coverage for the remainder of this flu season. No appointment is needed.
Patients with health insurance may also receive no-cost flu shots, as most insurance plans cover the flu vaccine at no charge to the patient.
Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season, the health departments warn. Flu vaccine reduces your risk of getting an influenza infection. If you do catch the flu, the vaccine can lessen the length and severity of your illness.
Vaccination is especially important for individuals at high risk of complications from flu, such as:
- Adults age 65 and older
- Children under age 2
- People who are pregnant
- People who are obese
- People with weakened immune systems
- People with chronic lung conditions like asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis
- People with neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions
- People with heart disease
- People with endocrine, blood, kidney, liver, or metabolic disorders
You can also protect yourself from the flu by avoiding people who are sick, washing your hands often, and improving air quality by bringing in fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors, according to the health departments.
Nationwide
U.S. flu infections surged over the holidays, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse.
New government data showed that by some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history.
The data was released the same day that the Trump administration said it will no longer recommend flu shots and some other types of vaccines for all children.
Georgia was among 45 states reporting high or very high flu activity during the week of Christmas, up from 30 states the week before.
The higher numbers appear to be driven by the type of flu that’s been spreading, public health experts say.
One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that’s the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 90% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.
Flu seasons often don’t peak until January or February, so it’s too early to know how big a problem that mismatch will be.
“The fact that we’ve seen steady increases over the last several weeks without much of a decline or even a flattening would suggest to me that we’ve got the peak ahead of us,” said Dr. Robert Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.