If you’re like me and have felt like fewer people are catching COVID than in winters past, you’d be right. Honestly, unless you’ve been one of the unlucky few lately, it feels like the first winter in more than half a decade we haven’t been on high alert, at least not here in West Hollywood.
Flu Hits 20-Year High; Norovirus Also on the Rise
However, even though things may be quiet on the COVID front—for now—now is not the time to let your guard down. We are beginning to see a West Hollywood flu and norovirus 2026 surge that is hitting the community. The U.S. is currently facing its highest level of respiratory illness since the 1997-98 season. According to the CDC, nearly every state is reporting high or very high levels of people being sick. The bad guy: a new flu strain with a scary-sounding name, “Subclade K.” It emerged after this year’s vaccine was finalized, which made it easier for it to get past some of our existing immune defenses. And if that wasn’t bad enough, simultaneously, Norovirus (the “vomiting bug”) is surging.
The Impact on West Hollywood
The problem is that the national trend is beginning to show up here as a surge in “triple threat” illnesses. According to the latest Los Angeles County Department of Public Health data, we’ve entered the phase where these viruses are peaking simultaneously. COVID-19 levels in LA’s wastewater are categorized as “growing,” with pressure on local hospitals and doctor’s offices coming from a massive 250% spike in Norovirus and a “Very High” influenza activity level. This particular flu wave has pushed medical visits to their highest rates in two decades, which is mirroring the national 8.2% surge.
As you might imagine, in a dense urban place like West Hollywood, the risk for all of these viruses is heightened. And like many of us, Noro loves a crowd. It thrives in restaurants, bars, and gyms, making WeHo the perfect breeding ground. Plus, there’s the added challenge of hand sanitizers essentially being useless against it. Health officials say that only a real-deal soap and water scrubbing or bleach can kill the thing. So please, just wash your hands every chance you get.
Wait, Which One Do I Have?
Just in case you needed a reminder, flu hits hard and fast. Unlike a cold, which usually starts with a sore throat or the sniffles, flu brings on a sudden fever, chills, body aches, and the kind of exhaustion that makes you want to drop out of life and stare at a wall.
By now, you know COVID symptoms: similar to a bad cold with the occasional fever.
But if your karma is especially bad this season and you catch the dreaded “Noro,” you’ll know it fast. We’re talking projectile vomiting or worse… a double-header, if you catch my drift. And with this one, you gotta watch out as things can go south fast. If you’re throwing up (and then some), you need to watch for dehydration, which is usually what sends people to the ER with dangerously low blood pressure, among other potentially serious symptoms.
So, What Do We Do?
If you start to feel even a little bit “not right,” do us all a favor and just stay home. I know, I know, missing a workout or a night out sucks, but in the end you’ll be doing your part by not helping to spread these winter woes. And if you have to be out, do what I do and wash your hands like it’s 2020 all over again. Word is we’ve still got a few more weeks of this “triple threat” mess before things peak.
And look, I’m not making a political pitch here. It’s just common sense: if you can get a flu shot and haven’t yet, it’s still worth doing if only to keep yourself out of the hospital. Same goes for the COVID booster, especially for anyone in a high-risk group. Repeat: the flu shot can still help!
If one (or two, which is technically possible) of these monsters catch up with you, you’ve got to move fast. Ask your doctor quick for a scrip for Tamiflu if you think you have the flu as it really only works if you start it in a day or two of first getting sick. If you catch Noro, pardon the pun, but you are SOL. You just gotta stay hydrated and wait it out. If Covid is on your menu, you can ask for a prescription for an antiviral as well. And if you’re older, pregnant, or immunocompromised, don’t wait. Call your doctor the second those chills start hitting.
Stay safe and stay home if you have to. Keep it a happy new year. Don’t let it become an “oh crap, I caught the flu” year!
Thank you, Brian, you performed a great service for our city.