Primary Content
While Georgia influenza and COVID-19 rates appear to be lower than last year at this time, flu circulation has reached a level that concerns some local health officials.
In data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of state hospital visits for flu-like illnesses remains higher than the national average as of the first week of December.
In the metro Atlanta area, there were 12 hospitalizations for influenza throughout Thanksgiving week, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. While that’s one of the largest weekly in-patient admission counts of this fall, it’s only about 15% of the rate experienced last year at that time. CDC emergency department data further indicate that Georgia respiratory virus visits, including for influenza, remain less common than last respiratory disease season…