{"id":19347,"date":"2021-11-12T15:48:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T20:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19347"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:39:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:39:40","slug":"why-flu-season-is-severe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/why-flu-season-is-severe\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Flu Season Is Especially Severe This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inflation and supply chain issues are the big worries <\/span>du jour<\/span><\/i>, but just one year ago many of us were gripped with anxiety about something else: the possibility of a \u201ctwindemic,\u201d or a surge in COVID-19 cases alongside a severe flu season. <\/span><\/p>\n

To the surprise of many, this didn’t happen. So, as we roll into our second pandemic-era flu season \u2014 a period that spans roughly October through May \u2014 you may not know what to expect. <\/span>Below, we cover everything you need to know.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The state of the flu-nion<\/h3>\n

Before diving into the specifics of the 2021-2022 flu season, it\u2019s important to first <\/span>cover the basics.<\/span><\/a> The influenza virus comes in <\/span>a few distinct forms<\/a>. I<\/span>nfluenza A and B are the primary types that appear during flu season each year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, strains of the flu are constantly evolving \u2014 which means researchers frequently adapt flu vaccines. They use data from early cases of the flu to predict which strains will be dominant each year, and develop the shot from there. Distribution starts as early as August.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically, the vaccine reduces <\/span>an individual\u2019s flu risk by 40-60 percent<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>significantly lessens the chance of being hospitalized or dying from the flu. <\/span><\/a>\u00a0However, it\u2019s common for less than half of Americans to get the shot. (Why? Many<\/span>\u00a0underestimate<\/a> the value of the vaccine and overestimate its potential risks and side effects.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last three influenza seasons, overall vaccination rates hovered only in the 50th percentile for Americans,\u201d says Dr. Susan Donelan, Medical Director of the Healthcare Epidemiology Department at Stony Brook Medicine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last winter, despite pretty average vaccination rates, the flu nearly disappeared. During a typical flu season, about a third of people who contract some sort of respiratory virus have the flu. But last year, only 0.2% of respiratory specimens collected in U.S. clinical labs tested positive<\/a> for the flu. <\/span><\/p>\n

And w<\/span>hile researchers found an average of 8 percent<\/a> of the population gets the flu during moderately serious flu seasons, less than 1 percent had it last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given such a turn of events, can we expect things to be equally chill in the next few months? Well, we can\u2019t ever predict the future \u2014 but unfortunately, experts say many of the signs point to no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The forecast<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhile I don\u2019t have a crystal ball, I think we\u2019re certainly at a higher risk of a difficult influenza season this year compared to last,\u201d Dr. Donelan says. <\/span>Shoshana Fishbein, Communications Director of the nonprofit Families Fighting Flu, echoes her, noting that we\u2019re already seeing more flu activity this fall compared to last year. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few reasons driving this likely uptick:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n