25 flu A cases were recorded in Lancaster County in the week ending Oct. 10, a level the Pennsylvania Department of Health classified as “very high.”
Cases began appearing by mid-September, signaling an early flu season even though the official respiratory virus season started Oct. 4.
Doctors said COVID-19 activity remains minimal and RSV has not yet emerged locally, avoiding the three-virus surge seen in some past seasons.
This year’s flu shot includes the H3N2 influenza A strain that was missing from last season’s vaccine, and physicians expect better protection as a result.
Rhinovirus is also circulating widely—about 50 of 250 respiratory samples at Lancaster General Health tested positive—while doctors urged vaccination and testing to distinguish similar symptoms.