The number of influenza cases in Montgomery County is higher than it’s been in nine years, and hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise, according to county health officials.
“We have seen more flu hospitalizations and deaths than we’ve seen from COVID [this year],” county health officer Dr. Kisha Davis said during a Feb. 19 virtual media briefing. “This is the first time since COVID has been around that we’ve seen more flu than COVID.”
Influenza is currently the largest cause of moderate and severe respiratory illness in Montgomery County, according to county health officials. The weekly total of flu cases for Feb. 17-21 was higher than it has been for any week in the past nine years.
County emergency rooms have seen as many as 900 visits per week for flu symptoms since the beginning of the year, according to data provided to Bethesda Today from county health officials. Comparatively, in early 2022, emergency rooms were seeing fewer than 100 visits for flu symptoms in a week.
There were seven deaths from influenza statewide between Feb. 9-15, according to Maryland state data. Six were adults and one was a child. There had been no additional flu deaths this month as of Thrsday.
Davis said people are not getting the flu vaccine at high rates. According to state data, 37% of Montgomery County residents are up to date on the flu vaccine. She encouraged county residents to make sure they are up to date on all of their vaccinations.
“It’s not too late. We expect there to be a long tail on this flu season, so we do encourage people to still get the vaccine,” Davis said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu activity peaks between December and February, but has also peaked in March in some years.
Sean O’Donnell, the county’s Public Health and Emergency Preparedness manager, said he believes vaccination rates are down in part because people must make more of an effort to get vaccines than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when local governments were offering mass vaccination clinics.
“During COVID, people had less obstacles sometimes getting a vaccination. The public health and the health care infrastructure made it very easy to get a vaccination,” O’Donnell said. “Now, people have to go and use their insurance, and their insurance will work at some places, but not others. And so I think people might get a little frustrated trying to find a place to get a shot.”
O’Donnell encouraged county residents to check in with their insurance providers about where to get vaccines.
“If you don’t have insurance, we’ll also help you get a shot as well,” O’Donnell said.
More information on obtaining the flu vaccine is available on the county Department of Health and Human Services website.
