RICHMOND, Va. — We're in the middle of one of the most severe flu seasons in a decade, as over 900,000 hospitalizations have been caused by the virus nationwide since October 2024, according to the CDC.
However, new numbers released Tuesday by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) show disease numbers in the commonwealth are starting to trend down following a week of "very high" flu activity.
Since the start of the 2024-25 flu season, more than 60 Virginians have died from the virus, according to VDH data, and four of those deaths have been children.
VDH statistics show only about 31% of Virginians have received a flu shot this year, which is something Dr. Elaine Perry, director of the Richmond Henrico Health District (RHHD), says is concerning as health officials are calling this flu season brutal.
"If we let down our guard and we stop those efforts, these are the consequences of what we see," Dr. Perry explained. "And so, it is so important, as always, to make sure that your children receive all the recommended childhood vaccinations. It is important for us as adults to make sure that we, you know, we're not off the hook."
When it comes to flu symptoms, Dr. Perry says one of the first signs you could have the flu is if you experience an overwhelming onset of fatigue, but she notes other respiratory illnesses can cause this as well.
"Other infections can cause that as well, but that sort of overall body aches and, like I said, fatigue, just really feeling completely wiped out, definitely can obviously come along with other things, including a headache, sore throat, and congestion," she noted.
If you experience trouble breathing or severe symptoms, Dr. Perry encourages you to get checked out by a healthcare professional right away.
In Central Virginia, numbers show about 20% of emergency room visits are related to respiratory illnesses.
Dr. Perry says while the state isn’t concerned about hospital bed capacity at this time, she wants people to understand that could change if cases rise.
"Any increase in urgent care visits, emergency room visits, visits to primary care providers, you know, that does put an increased strain, obviously, on our healthcare systems," Dr. Perry explained. "There are a lot of different competing priorities and things, and so it is hard when you start to see a spike in one area, knowing that there's still going to be other things that people are managing."
Because we are only halfway through flu season, and Dr. Perry says we sometimes see high numbers of flu cases in March, it’s not too late to get a flu shot this year.
She also recommends all Virginians get the COVID-19 booster shot, as she notes we are still seeing significant death and illness from that disease as well.
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