{"id":76442,"date":"2026-01-02T21:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T21:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/76442\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T21:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T21:02:19","slug":"demand-for-flu-shots-high-amid-surge-in-virus-activity-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/76442\/","title":{"rendered":"Demand for flu shots high amid surge in virus activity"},"content":{"rendered":"

DePietro\u2019s Pharmacy in Dunmore and Sheehans Pharmacy in Plains Twp. have seen demand for flu shots surge amid rapid increases in flu activity across the state and nation.<\/p>\n

Recent state Department of Health data showed that, for the week ending Dec. 27, the percent of emergency department visits with a flu diagnosis was \u201cvery high\u201d for all ages statewide. The state\u2019s respiratory virus dashboard also listed flu, RSV and COVID-19 activity as \u201cincreasing rapidly\u201d in Pennsylvania as of its most recent update.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, recently estimated that there have been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths<\/a> from flu so far this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely been a surge,\u201d Alexandra Riggleman, a pharmacist at DePietro\u2019s, said Friday. \u201cRight now we\u2019re usually expecting less flu shots, but actually people are coming in more and more. \u2026 I\u2019ve given back-to-back flu shots all day today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FluFlu shot packaging sits on a table at DePietro\u2019s Pharmacy in Dumore Friday, January 2, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

Kelly Mitchell, a pharmacist at Sheehans, said she and her colleagues have experienced the high demand, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost definitely, and people who usually don\u2019t get (flu shots) are getting them this year,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cI definitely think some people got very nervous around the holidays, so we saw quite a demand right around the holidays before everybody started to get together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driving the rapid nationwide rise in flu is a new varient of the influenza A virus, a mutated version called subclade K, the Associated Press reported this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The CDC first identified subclade K in the U.S. in August. As of Dec. 19, about 90% of influenza A (H3N2) viruses the CDC had \u201cgenetically characterized\u201d from U.S. samples collected since late September belonged to subclade K, the federal public health agency said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new strain, it has a fast-moving mutation,\u201d Riggleman said of subclade K. \u201cIt has emerged as a major threat this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Citing Andrew Pekosz, a virus expert at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the AP reported that subclade K\u2019s mutations are \u201cdifferent enough to evade some of the protection from this year\u2019s vaccine.\u201d Riggleman made a similar point, noting this year\u2019s vaccine \u201cmay not be a perfect match\u201d for the new varient while stressing people should still get the shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there may be a mismatch between the strain circulating and the vaccine, but the vaccine is the best protection we have against the flu,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re definitely helping. I mean there\u2019s no way to anticipate how effective they will be until the end of flu season, like in March and April, but \u2026 the vaccine is the best protection we have. It may be imperfect protection, but it is there to protect against the flu.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while the ultimate severity of the current flu season still remains to be seen, it is keeping the team at DePietro\u2019s busy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are coming in left and right for the flu shot, but we\u2019ve also seen a lot of Tamiflu prescriptions that we\u2019ve been giving out (and) a lot of people coming in for the at-home COVID and flu tests to test themselves at home,\u201d Riggleman said. \u201cSo yeah, there is just an uptick in everything \u2014 in the actual virus, in testing and in people getting the flu shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

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