Flu is showing up early in KC
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Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Flu is turning up in ERs on both sides of the KC metro about twice as often as it did a year ago, an early sign that flu season is starting early.
Why it matters: Time is running out for folks who plan to get a flu shot, which typically takes about two weeks to start working.
Zoom in: Johnson County recorded more than triple its typical rate of flu-related ER visits, topping the KC metro with about 1 in 250 patients, CDC data shows.
- More ER patients there now have flu than COVID-19, which last year outnumbered flu nearly 3 to 1.
- Flu ER visits in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties are also more than double last year's level.
- On the Missouri side, about 1 in 500 ER patients in Jackson, Clay, Platte and nearby counties had flu, a rate that has held steady for weeks.
Yes, but: That's still low compared with last winter, when a new variant nicknamed the "super flu" pushed flu to about 1 in 7 Johnson County-area ER visits by late December.
- KCMO alone logged more than 1,000 flu cases in a single week that month.
Zoom out: Nationally, about 3.6% of flu tests came back positive in early October, up from less than 1% a year ago, meaning a bigger share of people getting tested have flu.
💉 Who: The CDC recommends a yearly flu shot for almost everyone 6 months and older, ideally by the end of October.
📍 Where: You can get one at most pharmacies, doctor's offices and the KC and Johnson County health departments.
💵 Cost: Most insurance plans, Medicare Part B and Medicaid cover flu shots. If you're uninsured, KC's health department offers them free while supplies last, and Johnson County's charges $45.
🧬 New this year: If you're 50 or older, you can ask about the first mRNA flu shot, which uses the same technology as some COVID-19 vaccines.
The bottom line: It's too soon to know how bad this flu season will get, but the virus is already spreading here.