COVID-19 cases have remained well below the number recorded at this time last year in the Carolinas, but health officials now report rapidly rising cases of influenza in both states.
Cases have been surging in South Carolina, where the latest report from the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed more than 6,100 cases of influenza for the week ending Nov. 5.
That was almost a 75% increase from the roughly 3,500 cases reported the previous week. SCDHEC also said 10 people have died statewide so far this flu season.
In North Carolina, health officials reported about 3,000 cases for the week ending Nov. 5, up from about 2,400 cases the previous week.
Four schools in Anson County also went remote last week because of flu cases spreading among students. The district cleaned and sanitized the buildings ahead of resuming in-person classes Monday.
Thirteen people have died in North Carolina of the flu so far this season, including one child, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said flu season typically peaks between December and February. But the season seems to have had an early start this year, especially in the southeastern U.S.
Health officials are recommending people who haven't yet gotten a flu shot do so. Residents can look up where to get a flu shot at vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.
