Tennessee among states with highest reported respiratory illnesses as cases rise
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Across the country and in Tennessee, cases of flu, RSV, and COVID are rapidly increasing. Health officials said respiratory illnesses are peaking sooner in Tennessee than in previous years.
“The CDC predicted that we’d probably have our flu season a little earlier than usual, but it isn’t a worse season necessarily than some of the other seasons we’ve seen. It’s just happening earlier,” said Gill Wright, the director of the Metro Nashville Health Department (MPHD).
Flu cases rising across Tennessee, latest CDC data shows
Here’s a quick look at a few of the counties with the largest rate of flu reports in the volunteer state, counting for all the people going to places like the doctor’s office or urgent care with flu-like symptoms:
Shelby County: 19.5%
Madison County: 13.6%
Hamilton County: 13.2%
Davidson County: 9%
“It’s going to look like it typically does, which is usually like a bell curve before we get slow increase; then we get faster increase; then we kind of hit a top and then we start to move on a plateau, and then we drop. That usually occurs over a few months,” said Wright.
The latest CDC data shows during the week of Dec. 23, 2023, close to 30,000 new patients nationwide were hospitalized with COVID-19, which is the highest since last January.
Over 14,000 people went to the hospital for the flu and CDC officials also estimate 4,500 flu-related deaths so far this season.
Tragically, Cody Capp, a father of four, behavioral director for Robertson County Schools, and a deacon at Long Hollow Baptist Church, passed away late last week after being hospitalized with influenza. He was visiting family in Indiana when he died.
“Cody was just one of those people with a huge heart. I can’t even begin to explain the void that his passing is going to leave in all the different areas,” said Andrew Bolton, a pastor at Long Hollow Baptist. “We are all leaving a legacy, whether we know it or not, and when I think of Cody, he didn’t just make an impact, he left something that is going to live on forever.”
As respiratory reports increase, CDC data also indicates less than half of adults and children have gotten the flu vaccine this season.
“That for a lot of people would be very helpful. Most people, if they get any reaction to the vaccine, it’s a little soreness at the muscle, maybe a little redness, they might feel a little achy for a day or two, but all of those are mild symptoms compared to getting the actual virus,” said Wright.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
