Influenza rates in Utah have dropped significantly since the holiday season but still remain prevalent as doctors urge people to get a flu shot.

During the week of Dec. 28, the state reported nine influenza-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 people, or 314 cases, marking the highest rate in the past six years.

The latest data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services shows progress: Influenza-associated hospitalization rates have dropped to 3.5 per 100,000 people.

Additionally, Utah County’s flu hospitalization rates have been among the lowest in the state this season, with 19.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, or 142 for the entire season. The county had 18 flu-related hospitalizations last week, according to the data.

But the flu season hasn’t quite passed yet.

Intermountain Health’s medical director of immunization programs, Dr. Tamara Sheffield, said the season has so far followed last year’s trends, with a large peak at the end of December. She warned, however, that a second peak occurred last week around mid-February.

“So we’re not over the season yet,” Sheffield said. “Influenza can continue throughout late winter and spring, and that’s why we continue to tell people that if they haven’t had a vaccine yet, vaccines are the number one way to prevent the serious side effects that happen with influenza.”

Sheffield said the state has seen declines in flu vaccination rates each year since COVID-19 arrived in 2020 and that the flu season has been particularly severe this year and last, particularly affecting infants and people 65 and older.

Infants, she said, do not have the ability to cough and clear their airways. When they are hospitalized for the flu, it is often because they are having trouble breathing or have a fever and become dehydrated. Similar factors make infants susceptible to respiratory illnesses, Sheffield added.

For older adults, the concern is when the flu enters the lungs and paralyzes the cilia, resulting in pneumonia, which can be life-threatening, Sheffield said.

“The real key is helping people understand that these are severe diseases,” she said. “If they can get a vaccine, that’s better.”

Beyond vaccination, Sheffield said the best ways to prevent the virus, which can be spread through respiratory droplets, include wiping down surfaces and washing hands. She also suggested that people who are sick stay home and wear masks around family members to avoid spreading the illness.