{"id":95199,"date":"2026-10-28T15:12:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T21:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=95199"},"modified":"2026-10-28T15:12:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T21:12:06","slug":"flu-season-colorado-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/flu-season-colorado-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Flu season hits Colorado early. Positive tests have surged six times higher than last fall."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_80329\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-80329\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-80329\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/02\/12082602\/GettyImages-2065809439-dad-daughter-flu-sick-web.webp\" alt=\"A father comforts a little girl who is sick. Flu is far worse than a cold. It can be dangerous for both children and adults. Medical experts recommend flu shots for everyone ages six months and older. Photo: Getty Images.\" width=\"640\" height=\"414\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-80329\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flu is far worse than a cold. It can be dangerous for both children and adults. Medical experts recommend flu shots for everyone ages six months and older. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The flu season has hit very early in Colorado this year, with six times as many positive flu tests at UCHealth hospitals and clinics so far this fall compared with the same period last year.<\/p>\n<p>Flu infections started hitting people in September, and positive flu tests have continued to climb quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very early. People are still getting their flu shots,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/michelle-barron-md\/\">Dr. Michelle Barron<\/a>, UCHealth\u2019s senior medical director for infection control and prevention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuring a typical flu season, flu cases will start rising in mid-November, then peak in December and January,\u201d said Barron, who is also a\u00a0<a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/som.cuanschutz.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/8603\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">professor of medicine and infectious diseases<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0<a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/medschool.cuanschutz.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a>.<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<h4><strong>What&#8217;s happening with flu in Colorado right now?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Flu season started unusually early in Colorado. Positive tests started climbing at a steep rate in September.<\/li>\n<li>UCHealth hospitals and clinics recorded 991 positive flu tests from Sept. 1 through Oct. 20, compared with 162 during the same period last year.<\/li>\n<li>Experts recommend getting a flu shot now as cases continue to rise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear exactly how the rest of the flu season will unfold this fall and winter. Barron said the flu is unpredictable every year. But one thing is very clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCases are on the rise now,\u201d Barron said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re not even close to peaking. What\u2019s scary is we don\u2019t know yet if we\u2019re going to have a really prolonged flu season. Or are we going to have multiple peaks? We don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So the best strategy is to get vaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flu shot is safe and effective,\u201d Barron said. \u201cI would encourage anyone and everyone to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How much have flu infections spiked so far this year?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_95243\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95243\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-95243\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/28095608\/flu-cases-chart-july-to-Oct-2026-ENG-web.webp\" alt=\"This graph shows the dramatic increase in positive flu tests at UCHealth hospitals and clinics between late July and mid-October in 2026. Source: UCHealth.\" width=\"450\" height=\"560\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-95243\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This graph shows the dramatic increase in positive flu tests at UCHealth hospitals and clinics between late July and mid-October in 2026. Source: UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Flu cases have increased sixfold this year compared to September and October last year.<\/p>\n<p>To put the 2026-27 flu season in perspective, Barron shared the number of positive flu tests at UCHealth hospitals and clinics from Sept. 1 through Oct. 20.<\/p>\n<p>This year, UCHealth medical providers have logged 991 positive flu tests during that period compared with 162 positive cases during the same period last year. A chart showing positive flu tests in the UCHealth system illustrates the very steep rise in flu cases this fall.<\/p>\n<p>Barron is encouraging people to look at the sharp increase in flu cases and act fast.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because the flu is unpleasant and exhausting \u2014 at the very least \u2014 and can be deadly when it hits vulnerable people hard.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How deadly is the flu, and have there been flu deaths in Colorado this fall?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The flu still kills thousands of people in the U.S. each year. During the 2024-2025 flu season, the most recent season for which national data are available, health officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu-burden\/php\/data-vis-vac\/2024-2025-prevented.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">45,000 people died from the flu in the U.S<\/a>.<div class=\"su-pullquote su-pullquote-align-right\"> Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-covid-19-vaccine-and-flu-shots\/\">the 2026-27 flu and COVID-19 vaccines<\/a>, including timing, eligibility and this year\u2019s vaccine options.<\/div>\n<p>In Colorado, health officials already have reported the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.colorado.gov\/viral-respiratory-diseases-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first death of a child from the flu this year<\/a>. Health officials said there was <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denver7.com\/lifestyle\/health\/colorado-confirms-first-pediatric-flu-death-of-the-season-as-cases-hospitalizations-see-early-rise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no record that the child who died had received a flu shot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flu is dangerous and makes people really sick. It is not a cold,\u201d Barron said. \u201cWith a cold, you get upper respiratory symptoms. You get a runny nose. You might have a sore throat, and you\u2019re probably coughing. You may not feel great, but you can still function.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the flu, you\u2019ll often have a high fever. You may have those respiratory symptoms, but you\u2019ll probably also have body aches and fatigue. Some people are so exhausted that just getting up to walk to the bathroom is a strain. And this happens even in healthy people,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s early flu season in Colorado follows a record-setting 2025-2026 flu season, during which Colorado health officials tracked the most severe pediatric flu season since experts began recording flu cases in 2004. Overall, medical experts in Colorado recorded 5,931 flu-related hospitalizations last year, and a record 1,169 of those hospitalizations were among children. Eight children in Colorado died from the flu last year, according to <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.colorado.gov\/viral-respiratory-diseases-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Barron and health experts nationwide strongly encourage all children and adults \u2014 ages six months and older \u2014 to get flu shots.<\/p>\n<p>The people most at risk of the flu are \u201cthe very young and the very old.\u201d<div class=\"su-pullquote su-pullquote-align-right\">Parents can take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/how-to-keep-kids-healthier-during-cold-flu-season\/\">steps to help keep kids healthier during cold and flu season<\/a> and prepare for illnesses when they strike.<\/div>\n<p>Pregnant women also need to protect themselves. And once they get flu shots, they can pass immunity on to their newborns.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s vital because in recent years, the flu has hit children particularly hard, Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery year, people will die from the flu,\u201d she said. \u201cKids have been particularly vulnerable to the flu the last couple of years. They\u2019re vulnerable every year, but in terms of the number of deaths, we\u2019ve seen more in children the last couple of years than in previous years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And the flu can hit healthy children and adults hard. That\u2019s why getting vaccinated is so essential.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>With flu cases rising early in Colorado, should I get my flu shot now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYou need to go get your flu shot now because the flu is not a hypothetical thing in Colorado this year. It\u2019s here, and we\u2019ve already started seeing a significant number of flu cases,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>Some people wait until later in the fall to get their annual flu shot, hoping to boost their protection over the holidays. Or they try to time vaccines around a trip or a special occasion so they\u2019ll have optimal protection. Barron encourages people not to worry about the exact timing. Just get your vaccines soon.<\/p>\n<p>Barron said waiting to get your flu shot would be a big mistake this year.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why was last year\u2019s flu season so bad in Colorado? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Barron suspects last year\u2019s flu season was especially bad both because the circulating strain was particularly virulent and because vaccination rates have been declining in recent years due to growing opposition to vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>Flu vaccines are never perfect because vaccine makers have to guess which strains will circulate in the future, but even an imperfect vaccine can help prevent serious illness and death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can get the flu if you\u2019ve gotten your shot, but it generally protects you against hospitalization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with getting vaccinated, there are other simple ways to protect yourself and your family and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/stay-healthy-cold-and-flu-season\/\">stay healthier during cold and flu season<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why have flu infections surged so early this year?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The flu is behaving like it does every year: in wild, unpredictable ways, Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is what the flu does. My favorite analogy for the flu is that it\u2019s like a racehorse. You can have all of the odds and all of the statistics. And you can try to predict which horse will win the race. But unexpected things can happen,\u201d Barron said. \u201cNo matter how good the forecasting is, we never know which horse is going to win the race.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Barron\u2019s analogy, each racehorse represents a particular strain of flu that might or might not outcompete other strains of flu. Sometimes an unexpected horse \u2014 or flu strain \u2014 suddenly shoots out in front and surges ahead of other strains, making people sick.<\/p>\n<p>Some years, a flu strain spreads rapidly early in the season, sparking an early flu season, like we\u2019re seeing this year.<\/p>\n<p>Barron said people can get the flu year-round. Cases typically get much worse in late fall and winter, when other respiratory virus infections \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/how-long-is-rsv-contagious-get-facts-about-this-virus\/\">like RSV<\/a> and COVID-19 \u2014 also make more people sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flu does this periodically. Sometimes we\u2019ll have an early year. Sometimes, we\u2019ll have a horrible year,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Since last year\u2019s flu season was bad, and flu hit early this year, does that mean we\u2019re going to have a bad flu season this year? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s too soon to know whether this year&#8217;s early flu season also will be both early and severe. Barron said it\u2019s best to get yourself and your family members vaccinated as soon as possible to stay as safe as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe current strain we\u2019re seeing is one that we\u2019ve seen before. It\u2019s not a brand-new strain, like H1N1, which caused a flu pandemic back in 2009,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>But even familiar strains can differ slightly. And that can make them harder for our immune systems to fight. When this happens, what\u2019s known as an \u201cepitope\u201d changes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAntibodies that fight flu bind to surfaces, which we call epitopes,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>When epitopes change, they can become harder to recognize.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s possible that this year\u2019s flu strain is spreading now because our immune systems are having trouble spotting it and defending against it,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>Barron compares this phenomenon to the difficulty we might have recognizing someone who changes their hair color.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a subtle change, but if I expect you to have brown hair, and suddenly you have blond hair, it might take me longer to recognize you, or in this analogy, it takes your immune system longer to recognize the virus,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s delayed recognition and as a result, a delay in response,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How well will this year\u2019s flu vaccine work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s too early to know how this year\u2019s vaccine will work. But even if this year\u2019s flu vaccine isn&#8217;t a perfect match for the strains that are spreading now, it\u2019s still wise to get vaccinated, Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flu shot will be protective. It helps train your troops fight intruders,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Can I get both a flu and a COVID-19 shot at the same time?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Yes. Barron said it\u2019s perfectly safe to get both shots at the same time. And that\u2019s really convenient. Many people will want to do exactly that now or in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n<p>If everyone who is eligible gets their flu and COVID-19 shots this fall, we could dramatically reduce severe cases of both illnesses this fall and winter, Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>Getting an annual flu and COVID vaccine has become the new normal. And someday, there might be combined vaccines to prevent both.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Will this year&#8217;s flu shot prevent severe illness?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>No vaccine is perfect. And flu vaccines are especially complex, Barron said. That\u2019s because vaccine makers have to guess in advance which flu strains will be circulating later that year. Then they create a vaccine that they hope will fight the prevailing flu strains.<\/p>\n<p>In some years, the flu vaccine works better than in others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn an optimal year, you get up to about 80% effectiveness. In other years, the match may be closer to 30%,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>But even when the annual flu shot doesn&#8217;t perfectly match the prevailing flu variants, the flu vaccine can dramatically reduce hospitalizations and deaths.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt keeps you out of the hospital, and it keeps you from dying,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why her advice is quite simple now: \u201cGet your flu vaccine now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease protect yourselves,\u201d she said. \u201cFor the past few years, we\u2019ve been focused on COVID, COVID, COVID. But we also need to focus on the flu. Get your vaccine so you can stay healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Is there a special flu shot for people 65 and older?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cYes. There\u2019s a high-dose flu shot for people over age 65. It\u2019s meant to give you an extra boost to your immune system,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>When you schedule your flu shot with your medical provider, if you are older, they should offer you the specially formulated shot for older adults. But it\u2019s wise to ask which type of flu shot you are getting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The flu season has hit very early in Colorado this year, with six times as many positive flu tests at UCHealth hospitals and clinics so far this fall compared with the same period last year. Flu infections started hitting people in September, and positive flu tests have continued to climb quickly. \u201cIt\u2019s very early. People [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4860,2684,392,162,4797,257],"class_list":["post-95199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-covid-19","tag-flu-season","tag-infection-prevention","tag-infectious-diseases","tag-seasonal-flu-treatment-and-flu-shots","tag-virus-prevention"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.7 (Yoast SEO v28.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Colorado flu season starts early as positive tests surge - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Flu season hit Colorado early. 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