Flu is spreading early this year, the CDC says, and health officials say get a flu shot now, before holiday gatherings

Flu season has started unusually early in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly flu report released Friday shows. Seven states or other jurisdictions had high or very high levels of flu-like illness in the week ending Nov. 7, up from two a week earlier, and those visits rose above normal in the federal health region that includes California.

What to do

The CDC recommends a flu shot for everyone 6 months and older and says people who haven’t gotten one this season should get it now.  Lab tests so far show 140 of 147 samples of the main flu strain going around, a type called H1N1, were well matched to this year’s vaccine, the report says, though the CDC says it is too early to know what that means for how well the shots work.

Santa Clara County Public Health says people over 65, young children, pregnant women and people with asthma, diabetes or heart disease are most likely to get very sick.  If you are in one of those groups and get sick, call your doctor quickly:  prescription antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu work best when started early, the CDC says.  The county’s Patient Access line, 1-866-967-4677, helps residents find a doctor or insurance.

The numbers

The CDC estimates at least 2.6 million flu illnesses, 36,000 hospitalizations and 2,100 deaths so far this season, including five children.  In the week ending Nov. 7, 3.2% of doctor visits were for flu-like illness, above the CDC’s 2.9% national baseline for flu season.  The CDC rates severity as low so far and says an early start doesn’t necessarily mean a worse season, but it forecasts more flu hospital stays through late November.  The county posts local flu levels in wastewater on its respiratory virus dashboard.

Source: CDC FluView, week ending Nov. 7, 2026; Santa Clara County Public Health, flu page and dashboard.