Respiratory viruses continue to spread in Arizona. The Arizona Department of Health Services reported more than 1,000 cases of influenza last week and more than 2,100 cases of COVID-19.
The last two winters in Arizona brought massive spikes of flu cases. And caseloads have been higher than normal this flu season, too. So far this fall, Arizona has already confirmed about twice as many flu cases as it would typically see. Cases jumped 25% just in the last week, state health department data shows.
Recent COVID-19 caseloads in Arizona remain far lower than what was reported during the first years of the pandemic. But the health department reports COVID infections are trending upward in Arizona right now. Laboratory-confirmed COVID cases increased 8% in the last week.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual flu and COVID vaccines for everyone 6 months and older. But the CDC says only about 35% of U.S. adults have had a flu shot so far during this respiratory virus season, and only 18% have had a COVID-19 shot.
The CDC says there is still time to get those vaccines to be better protected and to help slow viral spread heading into the holiday season.
