CDC says flu season is accelerating, number of cases 'elevated' in WA

Well, flu season ramping up in our state. The Washington Health Department says flu activity is elevated and increasing. Nearly 3.5% of ER visits last week were due to the bug. The CDC says the flu season that started early this year is only getting worse with colder weather around the corner. Tanya J. Powers has more. This flu season started early. It's already more active than usual, and it's getting worse. The CDC says the testing positivity rate is more than 9 percent, though it's likely higher given that many people test at home, and doctors' visits are up almost 3 percent from last week. It's being driven by a new variant, and some say it's hitting harder than most strains. My head was pounding. I mean, my eyes felt like they were going to pop out. I mean, coughing a lot, sneezing all over the place, just weak, woozy. And of course, kids remain a major concern ahead of the holidays. Doctors across the country are reporting big numbers of pediatric infections, and those are leading to more adult cases as well. We are in the urgent care, seeing lots of kids in school and lots of teachers as well because of their exposure at school. Health officials are now pleading with parents to stop sending their kids to school if they're sick. Keeping children at home until they're fever-free for 24 hours or until their symptoms subside are all key things to keeping the germs from spreading. The CDC recommends flu shots for everyone six months and older, and so far this year's version seems to be doing well against the new strain. And if you haven't rolled up your sleeves yet, there's still time. Data suggests this year's influenza vaccine can recognize this variant, so the immune escape is only partial or rather incomplete. The CDC says Thanksgiving travel is expected to lead to an uptick in cases, so make sure you get your flu shot before you hit the road. In New York, Tanya J. Powers, Fox News.