Name: Doctors say Connecticut seeing cases of flu, COVID ramping up
Uploaded: 2026-01-06T17:42:08.215Z
Duration: 1 min 44 s
Description: Doctors say there is a variant of the influenza A virus right now that has mutations and it is sneaking through our immune system defenses.

Doctors say there is a variant of the influenza A virus right now that has mutations and it is sneaking through our immune system defenses.

Connecticut

Doctors in Connecticut have reported a significant increase in both flu and COVID cases, with 23 COVID-related deaths and 18,000 flu cases recorded in the state so far this season. Health experts attribute the rise to recent holiday gatherings, cold weather, and the spread of a variant of the influenza A virus that is evading immune defenses.

The CDC has classified Connecticut as having high disease activity, and doctors are concerned about declining vaccination rates. They recommend PCR testing over home kits for accuracy and stress the importance of masking and handwashing as effective preventive measures.

Doctors say Connecticut seeing cases of flu, COVID ramping up

Local doctors with two health care networks are warning this morning about dangerous and increasing cases of flu and COVID in our state. New South Connecticut's Mark Sudol is in our newsroom with the very latest mark. Good morning Asia. There were 23 deaths in our state from COVID last month, and now flu cases are rising rapidly. Doctors say in part because of holiday parties and the recent cold spell. Doctors say there is a variant of the influenza A virus right now that is spreading through our locations and it is sneaking through our immune system defenses. The CDC says Connecticut is rated high for disease activity. There have been 18,000 cases of flu in our state so far this season, and hundreds of hospitalizations. Doctors say to make matters worse, fewer people are getting vaccinated. They say those home test kits may not be as accurate as you think. The PCR test at your doctor's office is the best test. There have been 7,000,000 cases of flu diagnosed in the US so far this year, and that number is just going to get higher. We just hit peak flu season, and the CDC has reported that there's been twice as many flu cases detected over the past week as there were the prior week so coming off the holidays, coming off some cold weather, we're going to see many more flu cases. And doctors say the best defense against these viruses is what they've been preaching, masking up and washing hands coming up in our next hour. We'll hear from an infectious disease doctor from Yale New Haven Health in the newsroom. Mark Sudol is 12. Connecticut. We definitely got to keep ourselves safe during this season. All right, Mark, we do thank you.

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