What’s the flu situation in Utah?

Flu case counts — and the number of people being hospitalized — are rising in Utah and across the nation, driven largely by an influenza A variant that’s not a great match to the vaccine, though the shot still protects against serious illness and the other flu strains that are going around.

In a briefing for Utah media Wednesday, Dr. Andrew Pavia, an infectious disease expert and professor of pediatrics and medicine at University of Utah Health, noted that about 4% of all outpatient visits in local clinics are for influenza-like illnesses, which he called a “high rate.” More alarming, he said, is that hospitalizations for flu are “already at or slightly above the peak of last year’s season, which was a severe season in terms of influenza hospitalizations.”

The people most apt to be hospitalized with flulike illness are those 65 and older, he said, “but very close behind them are children under 4,” who are also being hospitalized at high rates.

“I have seen some very, very severe and scary cases of influenza in children in the last couple of weeks, including a number of kids who have ended up on advanced life support,” Pavia told reporters, noting that “virtually all of the people we know about who have been hospitalized with severe complications of influenza have not been vaccinated.”

What’s going around?

While many have called this year’s flu a “super flu,” Pavia balked at the phrase, noting that the strain that’s a variant not included in the vaccine is not itself “super.” It’s just that the shot is not working as well as one would hope because the variant emerged after the makeup of the vaccine was decided.

Three strains are circulating in Utah right now, he said, not just the A(H3N2) subclade K variant that’s getting all the attention. The majority of cases are that type, but there are other flu strains circulating that are a good match to the flu vaccine. And the vaccine still provides protection against serious complications and reduces the risk of being hospitalized for those who do get the variant flu illness, he added.

“Remember that influenza kills,” Pavia said.

People who haven’t been vaccinated, he noted, should do so right away. “Time is running out,” he said.

Flu typically peaks sometime in late January or early February and it takes a couple of weeks for someone who is vaccinated to get full benefit, though any benefit reduces illness risk.

Pavia also emphasized for those who do get flu that antiviral drugs exist that “help a great deal for people who are at high risk of hospitalization for influenza.” Those drugs, taken within 48 hours of getting flu, only reduce overall illness by about a day, he said, but for those at high risk the drugs reduce the potential for serious complications.

Those at high risk of serious flu complications are children under 4, adults over 65, and people with diabetes, heart disease, severe obesity or neurological conditions.

“Get tested early and contact your physician or practitioner and see if treatment is appropriate for you” is Pavia’s advice.

He also noted that home tests for flu, similar to those for COVID-19, are now available for the first time. “Even if you don’t have great access or can’t afford to go in and get tested in a clinic or an urgent care, home testing is an option,” said Pavia.

People who do get sick need to stay home and away from others until they no longer have a fever. Most people don’t shed virus and spread it after their fever resolves.

Flu case counts

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services has a dashboard that tracks respiratory illness. As of Dec. 27, the date of the most recent update, 698 people had been hospitalized in Utah related to influenza during the 2025-26 flu season. Of those, 291 patients were at least age 65, while 79 were 4 and younger. Among children ages 5 to 17, there have been 118 hospitalizations.

Flu activity is categorized as “high” in Salt Lake, Utah and Weber-Morgan health districts. The Central Utah district had low flu activity as of late December, while Bear River district had moderate flu activity. The rest were categorized as “minimal.”

But all the numbers are an undercount, since flu activity has increased since Dec. 27.