By Teresa Alasio
Clinics and emergency rooms across Fairfield County are reporting a sharp rise in patients with high fevers, cough, and body aches as influenza sweeps through the region this winter. While COVID-19 remains relatively quiet, flu is filling the gap, mirroring trends seen across Connecticut and neighboring New York. State respiratory dashboards now show elevated influenza activity across much of Connecticut, including Fairfield County.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the 2025–26 flu season has already caused about 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths, including eight children, as of late December. The vast majority of laboratory-confirmed cases so far are influenza A(H3N2), a strain that tends to hit older adults especially hard. CDC maps show high levels of flu and other respiratory illness throughout the Northeast, with Fairfield County specifically flagged among the areas experiencing elevated activity.
In Connecticut, state health officials track flu through a respiratory viral disease dashboard, which has shown influenza test positivity and outpatient visits climbing steadily since November. Local reporting based on Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) data indicates roughly 500 flu-related hospitalizations statewide so far this season, a number that does not yet include the most recent surge. Stamford Health, which serves much of lower Fairfield County, notes “an upward trend in influenza A” and rising pediatric cases, and is urging residents who have not yet been vaccinated to do so.
Just over the border, New York State is experiencing one of its worst flu spikes in years. The New York State Health Commissioner formally declared influenza “prevalent” in early December, a legal designation that triggers vaccination requirements for certain health-care workers. In the week ending December 20 alone, New York recorded more than 71,000 lab-confirmed flu cases, the highest single-week total since state tracking began in 2004, with thousands of hospitalizations and a particularly heavy burden on children. For families who live, work, and commute across the New York–Connecticut line, that surge is effectively right next door.
Public health experts stress that while anyone can get the flu, certain groups are much more likely to develop severe complications. Those at highest risk include adults 65 and older, children under 5 (especially under 2), pregnant people, residents of long-term care facilities, and anyone with chronic conditions such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, or weakened immune systems. For these neighbors, a “routine” case of flu can quickly lead to pneumonia, hospitalization, or even death.
This season’s spike is being driven largely by a newly mutated form of H3N2 known as “subclade K,” which has spread quickly in Europe and North America. Because the variant emerged after the current vaccine was designed, the shot is not a perfect match. Even so, early data suggest the vaccine still provides substantial protection, preventing an estimated 70–75% of child hospitalizations and about 30–40% of adult hospitalizations, according to analyses summarized by national health officials. In other words, you might still get sick, but you are much less likely to end up in the ER or ICU if you’ve been vaccinated.
Connecticut and New York health departments, along with local hospital systems, are therefore renewing their call for flu shots for everyone 6 months and older, with urgency for those in high-risk groups and the people who live with or care for them. The vaccine is widely available across Fairfield County: primary-care offices, pediatric practices, retail pharmacies, hospital-affiliated walk-in centers, and town health departments have all been running seasonal clinics, from Stamford and Norwalk up through Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Danbury. For most insured residents, the flu shot is covered at no additional cost.
Some residents still hesitate, worried about side effects or convinced that “the last time I got a flu shot, it gave me the flu.” Doctors emphasize that the injected flu vaccine contains inactivated virus and cannot cause influenza. Mild side effects like a sore arm, fatigue, or low-grade fever for a day or two are signs that the immune system is responding, not that you are infected. Serious reactions are rare, while the risks of flu itself, especially for the very young, the very old, and those who are immunocompromised, are very real.
Vaccination is the cornerstone of prevention, but it isn’t the only tool. Health officials continue to recommend staying home when you’re sick, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands frequently, and improving ventilation or masking in crowded indoor settings, especially if you live with someone at high risk. Anyone who develops sudden fever, cough, and body aches should call a health-care provider promptly; antiviral medications such as oseltamivir can shorten illness and reduce complications if started within the first 48 hours of symptoms.
With the holidays just past and school back in full swing, public health models suggest that flu activity will remain high for several weeks, and possibly intensify, before eventually declining later in the winter. That means there is still time for Fairfield County residents to make a meaningful difference in how hard this season hits our community.
If you’ve been putting it off, consider this your nudge: call your doctor, stop by a pharmacy, or check your town’s health department website and get vaccinated. A few minutes in line and a sore arm for a day are a small price to pay to help protect the very young, the very old, the medically fragile, and yourself, from a virus that is clearly not taking this winter off.
The information presented is meant for educational purposes and not meant as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a specific medical concern, please consult with your medical provider.
Dr. Teresa Alasio is the Owner and Medical Director of Intentional Self Aesthetics, located in Downtown New Canaan. She lives in New Canaan with her family who have all received flu shots this year.
