As quickly as it arrived, state health data shows that Maryland may now be on a downward trend of a “severe” influenza surge occurring over the winter holidays and early January.
But public health officials say now is not the time for Marylanders to let up on protective measures and public health practices, as the season is not over yet. There have already been 14 flu-related deaths in Maryland so far this year, already doubling last year’s death toll, with weeks left in the current flu season. Last year’s season did not peak until February.
“We’re seeing a bad flu season,” said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
“It’s not too late to get your flu shot…. People who are symptomatic should not go to work or school, they should stay home,” he said. “And then you do all the other things — washing your hands frequently and wearing a mask when you’re around others and have symptoms.”
Early in the flu season, which starts in the late fall, public health officials and health researchers warned that an emerging variant of influenza called subclade K was behind significant surges in flu cases across the world and would have similar impacts in the United States.
The current vaccine formula for the 2025-26 flu season is not as effective against troublesome flu variant, leading to greater transmission this year.
“We are seeing a more severe flu season than we traditionally have,” Benjamin said. “And the vaccine, while certainly effective, is not as great a match as it could have been.”
Benjamin also said that messaging from the Trump administration is stoking confusion around the efficacy and safety of vaccines, leading to reduced vaccination rates.
“The federal government really has been asleep at the switch on this,” Benjamin said. “And they recently changed the recommendation for routine flu vaccination for kids. Which is a problem.
“Kids should still get their flu shots,” he said. “And if people have any questions, they should consult with their clinicians.”
Meanwhile, Maryland’s Combined Respiratory Illness Dashboard reports that there had already been 4,202 hospitalizations from late September through last Friday. The total number of hospitalizations during last flu season was more than 8,000, health officials say.
The current flu surge may have peaked during the last week of December, with 1,079 people hospitalized for flu-related reasons. Last year, which was already considered a fairly severe flu season, weekly hospitalization peaked in February at 1,044 people hospitalized for flu.
That said, hospitalizations have quickly dropped, according to state data. During the first week of January, there were 493 people hospitalized.
Andrew Pekosz, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who researches respiratory illnesses, hopes that the flu surge continues to drop.
“The initial signs that we are seeing here is that it’s a steep flu season, but it seems to be going away as quickly as it came,” Pekosz said. “I caution that every flu season is a little bit different, and there are two influenza viruses – we call them H1N1 and Influenza B virus – that can cause influenza. And it’s not uncommon to see a late-season surge with a different type of influenza.”
But this year’s flu deaths, while high, are still trailing far behind another severe seasonal respiratory illness – COVID-19. In the 2025-26 respiratory illness season, COVID has been responsible for 99 deaths this year. That’s significant because state data shows that current COVID-19 activity is “low” though it is increasing.
“When you look at COVID-19 numbers, there still is a significant danger of severe illness that is sometimes much higher than what we see for influenza,” Pekosz said. “So, while we don’t see as much COVID right now, it’s still a disease that is dangerous, if not maybe a little bit more dangerous, than influenza. Particularly in the high-risk groups.”
Those high-risk groups include people who are over the age of 65 and immunocompromised people.
Pekosz says that for both COVID and the flu, regular hand washing and staying home when sick will help prevent the spread. Antivirals are also available for those who get sick to help protect from severe illness.
He also urged people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the rest of the respiratory illness season, and wear masks if they are around others while experiencing symptoms.