Georgia sees rise in hospitalizations, deaths due to aggressive flu strain

As 2026 begins, Georgia remains among states with the highest numbers of influenza-associated hospitalizations, according to metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

The state Department of Public Health’s most recent weekly flu report points to a situation made worse over Christmas — seven people died in Georgia from flu-associated complications between Dec. 20 and Dec. 27.  

That makes 29 total deaths since October. There were zero flu-associated deaths in Georgia at this same time last year.  

Also through Dec. 27, 511 people were hospitalized with the flu in an eight-county metro Atlanta area that includes Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, Douglas, Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton counties. That’s an uptick of about 600 hospitalizations compared to the previous week.  

These weekly updates reported to DPH from public health districts and major hospitals are just a snapshot of how many people are actually sick, said Jodie Guest, professor and senior vice chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.  

“We aren’t gonna have a good estimate of that because many people don’t get tested or seek medical care,” she said. “We’re more likely to know hospitalization rates and deaths.”

By the end of last year’s flu season at the end of May, 165 people had died and over 5,000 people had been hospitalized.  

In Piedmont Macon Medical Center’s emergency room, Medical Director Christopher Hogan said their numbers of sick patients defy weekly trends.  

Providers would normally be seeing anywhere from 120 to 150 patients on Mondays and Tuesdays.  

“Then Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and over the weekend, it kind of tapers off before it ramps up again,” Hogan said. “Instead of tapering down, we just are more consistent across the entire week.”

Being admitted more frequently are people with chest pains and shortness of breath, Hogan said.  

For many, the flu can be easy to manage at home with plenty of liquids and rest. But serious complications include pneumonia or other infections that require medical intervention.  

“We’ve had to admit some, just because of the symptomology, and that need observation in the hospital,” said Medical Director Efe Efemini of Piedmont Rockdale, which is included in the Department of Public Health’s weekly roundup of hospitalizations.  

Because of Georgia’s high hospitalization rate, providers are taking their own precautions, too, including implementing a masking mandate across the hospital. 

“The last time I can remember us having this universal masking would be around COVID,” Efemini said. 

An aggressive strain  

Those sick with the flu this season likely have subclade K, a strain of Type A flu that causes typical symptoms like fatigue and fever, but can leave people slightly sicker. A mutated version of subclade K is being most frequently reported by health care providers, according to the CDC’s national flu surveillance system.

As with previous years, the strain also isn’t completely covered by this year’s flu vaccine. Flu vaccine effectiveness can shift every season depending on what strain comes out on top, and how the virus mutates.  

“And this is causing a lot of the current cases,” Guest said.  

But the CDC still recommends the vaccine for people older than six months, including people who are pregnant, and especially for people older than 65 years old. And Guest said the vaccine is still the public’s best defense against serious illness and transmission. That’s because the vaccine helps people to produce antibodies that contribute to a better defense against severe infection.  

Flu vaccines are typically covered for those with health insurance, but even people who are uninsured, across age groups, have plenty of access at their local public health district, says Bonzo Reddick, health director for the Coastal Public Health District based in Savannah.  

“Even if you don’t have a lot of money, even if you don’t have health care insurance, we will work with you,” Reddick said. “We have enough vaccine for everyone.”

From Jan. 5 through Jan. 9, the Liberty County Health Department in Hinesville is offering free flu shots for uninsured children and adults. Other public health districts have and will host similar opportunities.  

Reddick said he understands why people might be hesitant to get the shot if they’re hearing that it might not provide 100% protection.  

“People rate effectiveness by ‘Did it stop me from getting the flu?'” Reddick said. “It’ll work that way for about 44% of people. But for the people that do catch flu, it will be much less severe in general, and it will make you much less likely to end up in the hospital really sick.”

There isn’t a statewide number yet for the rate of people who decided to get the flu vaccine this season. Between 2023 and 2024, Georgia’s flu vaccination rate was 41%, below the U.S. average of 47%. Other respiratory illnesses like COVID and RSV have largely been left out of this season’s surge, with months of flu season still on the horizon.

This story comes to The Current GA through a reporting partnership with GPB News, a non-profit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.

GPB’s Health Reporting is supported by Georgia Health Initiative, a non-partisan, private foundation advancing innovative ideas to help improve the health of Georgians. Learn more at georgiahealthinitiative.org