In recent weeks, a growing number of Alabamians have been diagnosed with influenza with many reporting to the emergency room for treatment. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s respiratory illness dashboard, patients with the flu made up over 6% of visits to the hospital statewide last week. Officials believe the number of cases will continue to grow as Alabama hits peak flu season.

“We’ve seen emergency department percentages go from less than 1% up to around 6-7% just in the last few weeks. Historically, flu always peaks around the first of the year,” Dr. Wes Stubblefield, a medical officer with the state health department told al.com. “If you’ve had the vaccine, it’s less likely you to get the flu, but it’s also much less likely to have severe flu. And severe flu is what we worry about. That’s the kind of flu that puts you in the hospital and makes you severely ill.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has Alabama’s flu numbers currently listed as “very high.” The Yellowhammer State’s neighbor, Tennessee, has also been placed in the agency’s highest classification.

Alabama had a large-scale outbreak last year with the flu and related sicknesses accounting for 6.5% of visits to the emergency room.

This year, the flu has already resulted in an estimated 3.1 million illnesses and 1,500 deaths nationwide.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten