PHOENIX (AZ Family) — Grab the wipes and sanitizer: Cold and flu season is here, just in time for Halloween and the start of the holiday season!

HonorHealth’s emergency room doctor, Dr. Jeremy Driscoll said he’s worked in several local emergency rooms lately, where he’s seen firsthand an increase in the number of people coming in with respiratory illnesses.

“We are currently entering that season,” he said. “October is usually kind of the tipping point where we start to see a rapid increase, especially as we get into November and the holiday season.”

Data from the Arizona Department of Health Services shows flu numbers are higher so far this year than last year. Although it’s still very early in the season, Arizona has had more than 600 confirmed cases of the flu so far this season, which started Sept. 29.

“I would say that personally, I’ve seen a lot more cases of flu, as well as Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses, especially in the last few weeks, but we’re increasing staffing, you know, for us, because we’re expecting a pretty dramatic increase over the next few months,” he said.

The figures also show that flu affects people of all ages, not just the elderly. The 19 to 49 age group accounts for the most flu cases in Arizona so far; 37% of cases.

“We are talking about almost all ages. “I would say mostly adults,” Driscoll said. “We’re seeing right now that our two largest groups are probably 20 to 40 and 60 to 80, but all ages are affected by many of these respiratory viruses, especially influenza. I’ve been seeing a lot more lately.”

Dr. Driscoll emphasizes hydration, rest and vaccination. If you want to get a flu shot but don’t have time to do it, now might be a good time, he says.

“Right now I would recommend getting it as soon as possible, especially since we’re at the end of October,” he said. “It takes a while for your body to actually build up immunity after you get the vaccine, and so for the flu vaccine that is available on the market, it can usually take up to a week.”

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report.

Do you have a photo or video of breaking news? To send us here with a brief explanation.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.