Health care workers asking public to get flu vaccine as positivity rate rises in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The flu is making its rounds again in Kentucky and southern Indiana, and doctors want you to get the shot.

They said there's no time like the present.

Doctors at Norton Healthcare said it takes two weeks after the shot to be fully protected from the flu, and with the holidays approaching, now is the best time to do it.

Currently, Norton Healthcare said Louisville is at a 10% positivity rate, meaning that 10% of the people who come in to get tested for the flu test positive. But that's up from 4% last week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is already seeing flu activity in the southern and south-central parts of the U.S., which could signal an early start to this year's flu season.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, flu season peaked in February and saw a 20% positivity rate.

Doctors said mask-wearing and sanitizing practices have dwindled as the world comes out of the pandemic, and the community could be at a higher risk.

"We've been so focused on the COVID pandemic over the last couple of years that we have to remind ourselves we have an influenza season every single year," said Emily Beckman, an advanced practice registered nurse for Norton Healthcare. "The No. 1 way to protect yourself and the people around you is to get vaccinated."

The U.S. uses flu results from Australia to forecast the flu season here. Australia's flu cases exceeded the five-year averages.

That data is why doctors said getting the shot this year is more important than ever.