Flu comes 'back in force' to Massachusetts

Flu didn't grab headlines from COVID-19 during most of the pandemic, but with cases surging this winter, the misery of influenza is getting renewed attention.

The latest weekly update from the state Department of Public Health shows the highest percentage of patient visits for flu since at least 2019. The pink line below shows a burst of flu or influenza-like illness in December of 2024 and a spike in January.

The state won’t post numbers for the first week of February until later this week.

Several doctors interviewed for this story said this flu season has been particularly vicious — and is far from over.

“And it seems like people are feeling sicker, longer, than I’ve seen in recent years,” said Dr. Michele Schroeder, president of the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians. “The majority are that young and healthy 20- to 40-year-old age group. That’s different from prior years.”

Schroeder said most patients she’s treating did not get a flu shot. The vaccine doesn’t guarantee you won’t get sick. It prevents 40-60% of cases, depending on the year and the strain of flu.

“But if you do get the flu, the vaccine will generally keep you from getting very sick,” she said.

As of last month, 38% of Massachusetts residents of all ages got a flu shot, a percentage that has dropped incrementally since the 2020-21 flu season, in line with a national trend. But nationwide, the percentage of adults who’ve been vaccinated against the flu is higher, at 41%.

"... if you do get the flu, the vaccine will generally keep you from getting very sick."

Dr. Michele Schroeder

Dr. Zandra Kelley, chief medical officer at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, said even her high-risk patients are turning down the shot these days, saying they don’t trust it or aren’t sure it’s important. In the last three weeks, Kelley said the number of patients with a flu-like illness has increased at her health center, from about 60 to 100 a day. That’s nearly a 70% increase.

“It’s one of the worst seasons I’ve seen for a while,” said Kelley. “The flu is really coming back in force this year.”

At Morton Hospital, an average day of 120 emergency room visits has jumped to 150 some days, due largely to the flu. Emergency Medicine Chief Dr. Allison Ramler said most patients don’t need to be hospitalized overnight, but they do feel awful and are worried about how long the body aches, nausea, sore throat and fever last.

“People are surprised at how bad the flu can be,” said Ramler. “It lasts for like 10-14 days. You should start to feel better in 5-7 days, but it can really knock you down.”

Every county in Massachusetts is reporting a “high severity” of influenza-like illness with Martha’s Vineyard, Plymouth, Essex, Bristol and Berkshire Counties showing the highest percentages of ER visits and hospital admissions.

The flu is contributing to longer wait times in ERs, crowded hospital wards and staffing shortages. If there’s a bright spot, it’s that cases of COVID-19 and RSV are not rising at the same time here in Massachusetts and in much of the U.S.

“This year COVID’s taken a little bit of a back seat,” said Dr. Angela Fowler-Brown, medical director for vaccine preventable diseases at the Department of Public Health. “Perhaps that’s because we had a surge over the summer … and people have some residual immunity.”

Flu has killed 98 residents to date this season. Public health leaders hope that number stays well below the 251 deaths last year or the 235 fatalities two years ago.

Fowler-Brown said everyone can help prevent infections by sticking with tried and true advice: wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough and stay home if you’re sick.

And, it’s not too late, she added, to get vaccinated.