Early Flu Season Surges Across U.S. as Hospital Admissions Jump Before Thanksgiving

Flu season has arrived early across much of the United States, and the numbers are climbing fast just two weeks before Thanksgiving. Hospitals from Arizona to New York to Georgia are reporting crowded clinics, and at least one school in Augusta, Georgia, shut its doors this week as illness swept through classrooms.

The latest national figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 8,396 lab-confirmed flu hospital admissions in the week ending Oct. 31, up about 38% from roughly 6,100 the week before, according to an analysis by Medical Daily. The CDC says “seasonal flu activity continues to increase in many parts of the country.”

What the CDC data show

The CDC’s weekly FluView report, released Nov. 6, found that 9.1% of specimens tested by clinical labs were positive for influenza, up from the week before. Influenza A accounted for nearly all positive tests, and among the subtyped samples sent to public health labs, 97.7% were the H1N1 strain.

The CDC estimates at least 1.7 million flu illnesses, 25,000 hospitalizations and 1,400 deaths so far this season.
Three children have died of flu-related causes in the 2026-27 season so far, according to preliminary counts.
Adults 65 and older have the highest hospital admission rate, followed by adults 50 to 64 and children 4 and under.
The Southeast region that includes Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte and Nashville had the highest admission rate in the country.

The CDC said it is seeing more genetic diversity among circulating H1N1 viruses than it has before, and that it is too early to know which viruses will dominate. Still, lab testing found that about 95% of the H1N1 viruses checked were well recognized by the antibodies used to judge vaccine match, according to a Clinical Lab Products summary of the report. The agency rates the season’s severity as low for all age groups so far, and cautioned that an earlier start does not necessarily mean a higher peak.

CDC forecasters expect hospital admissions to keep rising nationally through the week ending Nov. 21, with a wide projected range of 6,900 to 30,100 new admissions that week.

Local hospitals and schools feel it

In Arizona, more than 2,400 flu cases have been reported this season, including 919 in the past week alone, a 38% jump, KOLD News 13 reported Tuesday. “Influenza is surging early this year,” said Andrew Saal of the Pima County Health Department.

In western New York, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center saw its first flu patients in early September, before it had even handed out this year’s shots, WIVB reported. Infection prevention director Branden Simone said about 95% of the hospital’s cases have been influenza A, and he had a simple message: “It’s actually never too late.”

In the Augusta, Georgia, area, WRDW reported that Curtis Baptist School closed Tuesday and Wednesday and rescheduled its Veterans Day program after more than one-third of students were absent. South Carolina reported 1,079 new lab-confirmed cases and 137 flu-related hospitalizations in the last week of October, with flu-like illness well above the state’s baseline.

A separate bird flu case in Washington

The same CDC report noted two human H5 avian flu cases in Washington state among adults who worked on dairy cattle farms, including one death. The CDC says human-to-human spread of H5 bird flu has not been identified in the United States, and health officials have described the risk to the general public as low.

Why it matters for families

With holiday travel and big family gatherings ahead, an early flu season means more chances for the virus to spread to grandparents, babies and people with chronic health conditions, who face the highest risk of serious illness. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for nearly everyone 6 months and older, and notes protection takes about two weeks to build, so a shot this week would be working by Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.

A few general steps can also help: wash hands often, keep sick children home from school, cover coughs, and stay home when you have a fever. Antiviral medicines work best when started early, so anyone who feels sick, especially people in higher-risk groups, should talk with their doctor promptly. This article is general information, not medical advice; talk with your doctor or pharmacist about what is right for your family.

The CDC’s next weekly FluView report is expected Friday and will show whether hospital admissions are tracking toward the low or high end of the forecast. Upstormed News will keep following this flu season.

Has flu hit your family, school or workplace yet this fall? Tell us in the comments.

Sources: CDC, “Weekly US Influenza Surveillance Report: Week 43, ending October 31, 2026” (Nov. 6, 2026); Medical Daily, “U.S. flu hospital admissions jumped 38% in one week, with the CDC forecasting further increases before Thanksgiving” (Nov. 9, 2026); Clinical Lab Products, “Early Flu Season Activity Climbs as H1N1 Dominates Lab Detections” (Nov. 9, 2026); KOLD, “Flu cases surging early across Arizona” (Nov. 10, 2026); WIVB via Yahoo News, “Flu season hits New York earlier than ever, with influenza A dominating cases” (Nov. 10, 2026); WRDW, “Flu flares in CSRA with some schools closing as virus hits early” (Nov. 10, 2026)