DALLAS — North Texas doctors and pharmacists are gearing up for what could be a busy flu season this year.
According to the CDC’s influenza map, data shows Texas has some of the highest flu activity in the country.
“We think this is going to be a bad year for the flu. We say that because there wasn’t hardly any flu last year. So, no natural immunity,” Baylor Scott & White Health’s Dr. David Winter said.
The CDC has previously warned the country may see a harsh flu season after few to no cases were reported over the last two years.
“The last year or two, we’ve had patients wearing masks. And subsequently, flu has not been as major a factor because a majority of the population was in fact masking,” CVS pharmacy manager Frank Arredondo said. “But now, hardly anyone is wearing masks unless there’s someone who actively has COVID within their household. So, now that there’s no longer that protection, people are susceptible to the flu virus.”
Arredondo told WFAA they’ve been filling more and more prescriptions for Tamiflu recently, a drug used to fight the flu.
“We noticed that there’s a lot of junior high- or elementary school-aged kids that are coming home, giving (influenza) to the parents,” Arredondo said.
To prevent the spread and serious illness, doctors recommend getting a flu shot now.
“We do see a lot of people coming in to getting both their flu and their COVID bivalent vaccine,” Arredondo said.
In Texas, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed 422 cases of influenza A and B during the week ending Oct. 1. During the same week last year, no cases were confirmed.