Respiratory illness around the country spiked last week, just as families and friends gathered to celebrate the holidays. Tracking by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a 16% jump in people testing positive for influenza last week, plus a substantial rise in reports of other respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and RSV.
Seven had the highest tier tracked by the CDC, level 13: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
A Tennessee child has died from the flu in December, state health records show. It is the only flu-related death reported across the state this flu season.
Lucky Knott is a longtime broadcaster, sportscaster, and news reporter, having worked in radio here in the Sequatchie Valley and in Coffee and Grundy County for many years. You can hear his news reports weekday mornings and afternoons on The River 104.9 WEPG in Marion County and Country Roads 93.3 in Dunlap/Pikeville. He is also Editor for SValleyNow.com - Sequatchie Valley Now.
