WC Wisconsin News

With cases of COVID-19, RSV and the flu all steadily on the rise across the country, Wisconsin Sen. Chris Larson (D-Bay View) is urging people to be vaccinated in hopes of keeping themselves safe from surging “triple-demic” threats.  

“We are in the midst of one of the worst flu surges on record, and a big reason why is not enough of us are being vaccinated,” Larson posted on Twitter. “Just 25% of adults and 40% of children have received a flu shot, and 15% of adults eligible for an updated COVID booster have taken one.”

As spread of the viruses have surged, so too have hospitalizations from the flu, which have now hit a decade-long high, with the CDC reporting that at least 2.8 million people have already contacted the flu this season, some 23,000 of them ultimately landing in the hospital and 1,300 have died from some sort of related infection.

"Hospitalizations for flu continue to be the highest we've seen for this time of year in a decade," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told ABC7News.com. "If you do get sick, present yourself to your provider for early care. There are good antivirals to treat both flu and COVID-19."

Just the same, CNBC.com reports that the strain of the flu appears to be associated with more severe illness for the elderly and young children, leading to twice the national hospitalization rate for both of these age groups.