AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A surge in flu cases is accelerating, with Georgia and South Carolina among a band of the worst-hit states.

Georgia has now moved up to Level 13, the top of three ratings in the “very high” category, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. South Carolina is also at Level 13.

As data comes in for dates closer to Christmas and New Year’s, the levels could rise.

The CDC warned last week that flu and COVID-19 infections could ramp up in the coming weeks, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings.

Dr. Martha Buchanan of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said during a briefing Thursday that she wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen.

Dr. Rodger Macarthur of the Medical College of Georgia said: “As bad as it is in Georgia right now, it’s even worse in South Carolina. South Carolina is super high activity. They also started later, but they’ve caught up pretty much already to last year.”

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On Dec. 12, South Carolina confirmed its first child flu-related death. The child, whose name, gender, and age were not released, died in the Upstate region.

“So we can’t, as public health professionals or as a community of people make the mistake of not taking the flu seriously, and taking all of these other illnesses seriously seriously as well,” Buchanan said.

She said that while most people who get the flu, COVID, or respiratory syncytial virus will have mild symptoms and recover, some can become very sick and even die.

The people most at risk for the illnesses include infants, young children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions.

“Complications can occur even among young and previously healthy people and can’t be predicted it can’t be predicted who will really suffer severe illness just by looking at the person,” she said.

Buchanan said that while flu season typically begins on Oct. 1, every year’s flu season is different. This year, the state surpassed its one-week percentage of people seeing their doctor because of flu-like illnesses compared with last year.

“We’ve also passed the peak number of hospitalizations from last year,” she said.

Buchanan said officials don’t know whether South Carolina has reached the peak of the flu season yet.

She stressed repeatedly that vaccination is the best protection against flu, COVID-19, and RSV – although there’s a shortage of RSV vaccine.

“It’s not too late to get vaccinated,” Buchanan said.

MacArthur said even with the vaccine, you aren’t completely in the clear, but extra preventative measures will help.

“The best way to both prevent the spread and to prevent getting it is by wearing a mask. Masks don’t work so well for COVID-19, but they work really well for influenza because influenza is a droplet-borne infection spread by sneezing or coughing, the viral particles, the droplets,” he said.

Buchanan also urged the use of masks, frequent handwashing, and staying home or away from others while sick.

Nationally, vaccinations are down this year, officials say. About 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December, down from about 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC.

Americans have also been slow to get other vaccinations. Only about 18% have gotten an updated COVID-19 shot that became available in September. At nursing homes, about a third of residents are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

And only 17% of adults 60 and older had received new shots against another respiratory virus. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of mild cold-like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and older people.

Health officials across the country are keeping an eye on a version of the evolving coronavirus, known as JN.1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and now accounts for an estimated 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to reach 50% in the next two weeks.

It may spread easier or be better at evading our immune systems, but there is no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials say. And current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.

Buchanan noted that South Carolina health officials are keeping an eye on this new variant, too.

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