This season's flu is more severe, leading to more ER visits, Boston health officials say
The increased severity has led to a surge in emergency room visits, Ojikutu said. Flu-related hospitalizations in the state also increased with the second wave,
'We are still concerned though, because we will likely continue to see flu cases well into April and potentially May,' she said, adding that increased ER visits have led to longer wait times. 'Many people have challenges reaching their primary care provider or they don't have a primary care provider, which is why people are going to the emergency department.'
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Flu infections peaked in early January, then decreased. After cresting the first week of February, infections are down again, according to the
'This differs from last year, because it's a significantly higher number of cases than we usually see, and it's late in the season to see this number of cases,' Ojikutu said.
During the week of Feb. 9, 10.22 percent of visits to doctors' offices across Massachusetts were related to flu-like symptoms, including a cough, sore throat and fever.
Typically, during the peak of flu season,
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Ojikutu said officials have noted 'a higher number of cases in working age individuals as well as individuals who are older and have other co-morbidities.'
The increase in cases and severity could be linked to low vaccination numbers, officials said. The percentage of residents vaccinated for the flu is the lowest since the 2019 to 2020 season,
'Right now when we look at our vaccination data, it's not quite where we want it to be,' Ojikutu said, adding the state lags behind the national adult flu vaccination rate of
She noted that while the flu can 'always cause severe illness,' people who are pregnant, have chronic health problems like diabetes and heart disease, or who are older than 65 or younger than 2 are at higher risk of complications.
The highest rate of vaccination in the state is among people younger than 5 years old, at 45.7 percent, and older than 65, at over 70 percent. The lowest is 24.5 percent for people ages 20 to 34,
According to
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Ojikutu said it's not too late for people to get vaccinated, and
'We want more people to get vaccinated,' she said. 'Everyone ages 6 months and older should be vaccinated for influenza and COVID-19.'
Emily Spatz can be reached at
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