The influenza rate in Washington is low right now. But if you’re travelling for Thanksgiving, you may be headed to an area where the flu is already a serious problem.
According to the CDC, flu rates are currently high- to -very high in 20 states, mostly in the South and East. The rate is also high in California.
“But even if you’re going to somewhere where there’s not a high level of influenza right now, there certainly may be in a couple of weeks,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, an expert on infectious disease at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. “And to get to wherever you’re going, if you’re taking public transportation, you’re going to be in an airport or a train depot, on a train or a plane with lots of people from around the country and perhaps around the world who may have influenza. So even if you’re going to an area where there’s a low amount of influenza, getting there may be very problematic.”
And if you’re going to get the flu shot, Dr. Swartzberg said, why not get the updated Covid booster, too.
The CDC estimates that, so far this season, 23,000 people have been hospitalized because of the flu, and 1,300 have died, including a few children. That’s why the CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu shot now.
