An 11th person has died from influenza and more than 2,000 new flu cases were reported in the region as of Wednesday, county health officials confirmed.
There were 2,227 new flu cases last week. To put that in perspective, the week prior to that had 563 lab-confirmed flu cases.
Medical professionals are not holding back. They want everyone to get a flu vaccination as a precaution.
Eleven people have died from influenza this year compared to four people by this time last season.
NBC 7 spoke with the medical director of Sharp Rees-Stealy Urgent Care who described this flu season as the worst the region has seen in eight years.
"The vaccine is still the single best option we have to prevent influenza," said Dr. Phil Yphantides.
Yphantides adds if you think you have the flu and it is not urgent, stay at home from work or school to prevent contaminating others.
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Take over-the-counter fever reducers, wash your hands frequently and make sure to drink plenty of fluids.
The flu vaccine is available at doctors’ offices and retail pharmacies. If you don’t have medical insurance, you can go to a County public health center to get vaccinated. For a list of locations, visit www.sdiz.org or call 211.
