Influenza cases continue to rise in Georgia.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Georgia's flu cases are surging to “high levels,” according to the latest data. Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Friday, the number of acute respiratory illnesses causing people to seek medical care was high nationwide.

“Everyone's sick. Everyone's walking around coughing and hacking, and it's just going to spread,” said Shanae Smith, a nurse in Georgia.

Smith said confirmed cases of influenza A and influenza B are increasing.

We will likely see more flu cases in the coming days as holiday gatherings spread many winter illnesses.

In the latest report, 13 states are reporting high or very high levels of influenza-like illness, about twice as many as the previous week.

“It's been increasing at a pretty steady pace over the past few weeks. Yes, we are indeed in flu season,” said Alicia Budd of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Georgia is one of the top states. South Carolina's case count is rated as moderate.

Of course, there are many bugs that can cause fever, cough, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. One is the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The other is RSV (RS virus). This is a common cause of cold-like symptoms, but can be dangerous for infants and the elderly.

The latest CDC data shows that COVID-19 infections and RSV activity continue to increase across the country.

The CDC measures wastewater activity levels and emergency department visits for coronavirus, influenza, and RSV.

Wastewater viral activity is a measure of how much viruses are present in sewage water.

Looking at the local situation in Richmond County, the CDC shows that COVID-19 ER visits and wastewater activity are minimal.

However, high levels of influenza activity are seen in wastewater activity and the ER.

The same goes for RSV. The only difference is that the CDC shows very high levels of RSV in wastewater.

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Symptoms: Is it a cold, the flu, or the coronavirus?

1. Symptoms of coronavirus may include fever or chills, cough, body aches, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, and loss of taste or smell.
2. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say sore throats, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, and runny or stuffy noses are not common symptoms of coronavirus infection.
3. People with the flu can experience all of these symptoms, but loss of taste or smell is more common with COVID-19.
4. Fever and chills are not common with a cold, but you may have a cough, body aches, fatigue, sneezing, and a runny or stuffy nose.
5. Even allergies can develop in the winter, but they generally do not cause fever, chills, body aches, or loss of taste or smell.

The CDC determined the start of flu season based on several metrics, including patient test results at hospitals and doctors' offices and the percentage of emergency room visits diagnosed with the flu and discharged.

There doesn't seem to be a dominant flu strain, and it's too early in the season to know how effective the flu vaccine will be, Budd said.

Considering last winter's influenza season “Moderate” Overall, the long 21-week period led the CDC to estimate 28,000 influenza-related deaths. This is unusually dangerous for children, with 205 reported child deaths. This was the highest number ever reported for a traditional flu season.

Budd said the long season likely played a role. Another factor was the lack of influenza vaccination. Of the children who died and who were old enough to receive the influenza vaccine and whose vaccination status was known, 80% were not fully vaccinated. According to CDC.

This year, child immunization rates have fallen even further. As of Dec. 7, about 41% of adults had received a flu shot, which was similar to the rate at the same time last year. This rate is the same among children, but 44% of children received a flu shot, down from a year ago, the report said. CDC data.

Vaccination rates against COVID-19 are even lower, with about 21% of adults and 11% of children vaccinated to date.

Influenza experts recommend everyone get vaccinated.

“All these really warm, fun, fun gatherings are also opportunities for this virus to spread from person to person,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. “It's not too late to get vaccinated.”

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