AUGUSTA, Ga. – Amid what’s shaping up as one of the worst flu seasons in years, the Richmond County Health Department is holding a drive-thri vaccination clinic.

This comes with Georgia and South Carolina among the hardest-hit states, with flu levels “very high,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s the highest possible status on the CDC’s chart.

The drive-thru flu vaccination clinic will be from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Thursday at the East Central Public Health District Office, 1916 North Leg Road.

Bring your driver’s license or state ID, as well as your insurance card if you have insurance.

The worst flu season in years

Some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.

One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% 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.

The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.

So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.

Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.

Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.

Dr. Martha Buchanan with South Carolina Department of Public Health agrees the flu season is far from over.

“Here in South Carolina, we traditionally kind of see it start to slow down at the beginning of the year, January, February. But then we sometimes will also see a second peak in March or late February,” said Buchanan, director of the agency’s Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control.

“We don’t always come down as quickly as we go up.”

What to know about the flu

Flu symptoms and their severity can vary, but generally include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

Some people are at higher risk of developing serious complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, pregnant women, and children younger than 5 years, but especially those younger than 2 years old.

In some cases, health care providers may recommend prescription antiviral drugs to treat the flu.

There are other tried and true measures you can take to help prevent the spread of flu:

• Frequent and thorough handwashing with soap and warm water. Alcohol-based gels are the next best thing if you don’t have access to soap and water.
• Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or arm to help prevent the spread of the flu.
• Avoid touching your face because the virus can get into the body through the mucus membranes of the nose, mouth and eyes.
• If you are sick, stay home from school or work. Flu sufferers should be free of a fever, without the use of a fever reducer, for at least 24 hours before returning to school or work.
• If you are caring for a sick individual at home, keep them away from common areas of the house and other people as much as possible.

For more information on signs and symptoms of the flu, visit www.cdc.gov/flu/signs-symptoms/index.html

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