Flu shots "very good match" for this year's strains: CDC chief

Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testifies during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 19, 2021. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via Xinhua)

"We look in real time as to how well we think the influenza match is to what's circulating. And right now, the good news is that it looks like it is a very good match," said Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. CDC.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The updated flu shots generated this year seem to be "a very good match" for the most prevalent strains of influenza, said Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle Walensky.

"We look in real time as to how well we think the influenza match is to what's circulating. And right now, the good news is that it looks like it is a very good match," said Walensky on Monday.

Seasonal influenza activity is high and continues to increase across the country, according to the CDC.

There have been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season in the United States, according to CDC estimates.

"The rise in cases and hospitalizations is especially worrisome as we move into the winter months, when more people are assembling indoors, with less ventilation, and as we approach the holiday season, where many are gathering with loved ones across multiple generations," Walensky said.

Health officials have urged the public to get vaccinated for both influenza and COVID-19 ahead of large holiday gatherings and colder weather.