Flu season to be worst in a decade

Flu vaccine effectiveness typically ranges from 40 to 60 percent in a good year. It’s unclear just how effective this year’s vaccine is.

Credit: Justin Sullivan

Credit: Justin Sullivan

Flu vaccine effectiveness typically ranges from 40 to 60 percent in a good year. It’s unclear just how effective this year’s vaccine is.

This year’s flu season is shaping up to be the worst in nearly a decade – and it’s far from over.

So many people have fallen sick with influenza in Georgia and across the country that some pharmacies are even running out of flu medicines.

Also this year, it’s not just the usual older residents over 65 who are being hit particularly hard as flu season rages — people 50 and older are reeling from flu cases. While the hospitalization rates are highest among adults 65 and older, health officials said adults ages 50 to 64 were the next most likely to be hospitalized.

For more on the disturbing numbers and the flu strain that's taking a deadly toll this season, click here to check out our in-depth coverage at myAJC.com.