HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Dept. of Health in Hillsborough County issued a reminder to residents this week about the importance of protecting themselves from the flu.

“Getting your flu shot is the best way of protecting yourself against severe complications or hospitalization,” said Ryan L. Terry, public information officer for FDOH-Hillsborough. “The simple things, like washing your hands, disinfecting surfaces, but you can do all those things and we can still have an increase in flu activity.”

That’s exactly what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest Flu View report shows is happening in much of the United States, with the southeast seeing some of the highest activity.

According to the report for the week ending Nov. 5, the flu season so far has seen 2.8 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 1,300 deaths. In Tampa Bay, a spokesperson for BayCare Health System said there are 15 hospitalized flu patients across its hospitals.

The health system is seeing a 50% increase in patients testing positive for the flu compared to November of last year. BayCare attributes that to fewer people wearing masks and more relaxed preventive measures than were seen during the pandemic. As well as a reduction in vaccinations for the flu.

Terry said Hillsborough County is seeing more emergency department visits from people with flu-like illnesses than it did in November 2019, before the pandemic began and health precautions were put in place.

In Pasco County, Family Nurse Practitioner Angela Swary with CVS Minute Clinic’s location on SR-54 in New Port Richey said she’s seen an increase in people coming in to get their flu shots.

“I think that the same people that have always gotten it have gotten the flu shot,” Swary said. “The ones that have not, they’re starting to get it more now because of the fact that they are seeing the numbers. Their kids are reporting more cases of the flu in their schools. They’re reporting more cases of flu at their employers. They’re definitely seeing it out there.”

Swary said the most common misconception about the shot is that it causes the flu. 

“The flu shot is a dead, inactivated virus, or part of a protein from the flu virus. It is not the actual live virus itself, so it cannot give you the flu,” Swary said.

Some people may have an immune response that can include feeling tired or achy, but Swary said that’s a sign the body is creating an immune response.