Flu infections are surging across Pennsylvania.

The state’s Department of Health has logged more than 35,000 cases since the start of October, with nearly 14,000 coming between Dec. 21 and Saturday.

Department spokesman Neil Ruhland described the rise as a “normal annual occurrence” caused by people spending more time indoors, where transmission is more likely. The flu outbreak is nonetheless a serious public health concern.

Almost 7% of emergency room visits over that weeklong span were attributed to the respiratory virus, which can be more severe in young children, older adults, people with underlying health conditions and those who are unvaccinated.

In addition, the National Center for Health Statistics has logged 22 flu deaths in Pennsylvania.

Doctors say they’re managing the influx of flu patients.

“Right now, they’re not in any sense overwhelming for us,” said Dr. Ezz-Eldin Moukamal, chief quality officer at the Allegheny Health Network.

The Allegheny Health Network had 158 patients hospitalized with a respiratory illness as of Tuesday, including 107 with the flu.

Admissions related to the disease were concentrated at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville and Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills. Moukamal believes these hot spots were caused by a high number of older residents in the surrounding areas.

He emphasized the Allegheny Health Network has precautions in place to limit the disease’s spread within hospitals, and patients with other conditions should not be discouraged from seeking care.

Looking statewide, case rates are higher in Eastern Pennsylvania and the Erie area, though Allegheny and Butler counties are also seeing above-average flu circulation.

Pennsylvania, as a whole, is seeing only “moderate” levels of transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite several neighboring states being in the grips of severe outbreaks. New York saw 71,000 flu cases between Dec. 14 and Dec. 20, according to the state’s health authorities — the most ever recorded.

Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are also climbing in Pennsylvania, though not as quickly as the flu. The state’s respiratory virus dashboard does not track deaths from RSV.

It also does not include covid-19 cases, but hospitalizations were trending upward as of the week ending Dec. 13. The virus has killed 145 Pennsylvania residents this season, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

All three illnesses cause symptoms typical of respiratory illnesses, like fever, cough, and sore throat.

‘Super’ flu?

As for the flu, it appears a variant known as subclade K is fueling the rise in cases.

Scientists first documented the strain after the season’s flu shots were formulated, raising concerns it could slip past the vaccine’s defenses.

Since September, subclade K has accounted for 89% of the nation’s H3N2 cases — the most common category of flu — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chief medical officer and chair of the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine, downplayed fear around the variant, which has been nicknamed “super K” by some. It’s not unusual for a new strain to appear, he said, but they’re all treated the same way.

The vaccine appears to be holding up this season, he added, emphasizing the shot is still available and widely recommended.

Most people who end up hospitalized with the flu have not gotten the shot, Yealy said.

Flu infections historically climb around December, briefly fall off and then tick back up by the end of February, according to Pennsylvania Department of Health data.

It’s tough to know exactly how the rest of this flu season will shake out, according to Yealy. But there does not appear to be anything catastrophic on the horizon.

“It’s not likely to be the worst that I’ve seen in my practice,” he said.

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