We’re in the middle of a severe and record-breaking flu season throughout the United States.
Flu-related doctor’s visits are at an all-time high as millions of people come down with the virus. Flu deaths have also been reported in states across the country, including New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oregon and Louisiana.
“This flu season seems to be worse than previous flu seasons in that we are seeing more cases and we are seeing more hospitalizations associated with influenza than we have in previous years,” said Suruchi Sood, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
According to Dr. Jeb Teichman, a former pediatrician and medical adviser for Families Fighting Flu, the U.S. has experienced 15 million flu cases so far this season compared to 9.1 million cases at this point last year.
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Flu rates are “high” or “very high” in more than half of U.S. states.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, flu rates were “high” or “very high” across more than half of the country.
This includes states all over the U.S., such as New York, Maine, Colorado, Tennessee, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Jersey, South Carolina and many more. (See the full, color-coded map of flu activity below.)
Positive flu test rates are down, but experts don’t think they’ll stay that way.
That said, positive flu test rates are down from 32.9% in the last week of December to 24.7% in early January. While this marks a large decrease, it does not mean the flu has peaked.
“What the CDC is saying is that people weren’t seeking care during the holidays,” Teichman explained. This is likely the reason behind the drop in cases, he added.
If people were sick with the flu but not getting tested, flu rates would appear lower — even if they’re not.
Sood added that folks who already had time off from work for the holidays may have decided to get better at home and not seek testing or treatment. So, if folks were off the week between Christmas and New Year’s, flu rates through early January may appear lower than they actually are.
“It’s not really clear if the cases are going down because the actual incidence of infection is going down, which I hope is the case, or if it’s just backlog or less people seeking care and testing during the holidays and right after the holidays,” Sood added.
“It’s good to see that cases may be starting to tail off, but I would caution people that it’s still early days … we would want to see a continuing trend, a downward trend, before we let down our guard,” said Dr. Daniel R. Kuritzkes, senior physician in the division of infectious diseases at Mass General Brigham in Boston.
“What I’m reading in this report is that the CDC is expecting [flu cases] to go back up. We are not at peak yet … most commonly we peak in February, but we’ll see,” Teichman added.
This rough flu season is likely being caused by “a slight mismatch” between the prevalent circulating flu strain and the flu shot, according to Kuritzkes. This is because a new flu strain emerged after the flu shot formulation was decided.
Flu hospitalizations and deaths are up throughout the country.
Hospitalizations and deaths from the flu are up from the prior week, according to the most recent CDC data. Experts say this makes sense after the particularly high surge in cases.
“We always say that hospitalization and mortality are lagging indicators because people have to have caught the flu and then progressed to the point where they’re sick enough to be hospitalized,” Kuritzkes noted.
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“People should still be continuing to take all the precautions that they ordinarily would, in terms of careful attention to washing your hands when you come in from being out and about, wearing a mask if you’re in crowded indoor circumstances, staying away from people who are coughing and sneezing,” Kuritzkes said.
Try also to avoid contact with high-touch surfaces, Teichman suggested. For instance, if you’re out and about, use your sleeve to open doors or press elevator buttons.
If you are not feeling well, stay home. Common flu symptoms include fever, body aches, headaches and a sore throat. And if you notice any flu symptoms, take a flu test. You can find flu tests at your local pharmacy and online. Medical providers can also administer flu tests at your local urgent care or doctor’s office.
“Testing would be great, not just for preventing transmission, but for the person’s own sake,” Sood said. “There’s treatment for influenza and there’s treatment for COVID-19, so knowing that you have it might actually be beneficial for treatment options.”
Vaccination remains a crucial way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting really sick.
“The most important thing is that if you have not yet gotten the vaccine, and many fewer people this year have been vaccinated than in past years, it is not too late,” Kuritzkes said.
The vaccine may not keep you from getting the flu, but it will help protect you from getting as sick, ending up in the emergency room or worse, according to Teichman.
While recent flu guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services no longer unilaterally recommends flu vaccination, experts say the flu shot remains the best way to protect yourself this winter.
“In the last flu season, we lost 289 pediatric patients, children under 18. Ninety percent of those who succumbed to the flu were not vaccinated,” said Teichman, who added that half of the children who died didn’t have any conditions that put them at high risk for death from the flu.