Health & Fitness

Respiratory Illnesses On The Rise: See What's Circulating, Find Vaccines In MD

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released its flu season outlook. Patch has a list of where to find vaccines.

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Kristin Danley-Greiner, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

The flu season is looming and experts expect it to be moderately severe across all age groups.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released its 2026-2027 Respiratory Disease Season Outlook. As of Sept. 18, when the report was released, seasonal influenza activity in Maryland and across the country remained low.

The CDC is watching the Southern Hemisphere for clues as to how the flu season may unfold. As of September, influenza activity in the Southern Hemisphere had generally been moderate, had peaked and was declining in most South American and southern African countries.

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According to the CDC's FluView data for the 2025-2026 flu season, for the week ending Sept. 28, 9,467 positive influenza cases and 706 influenza B cases were reported in total.

The Maryland Health Department shows that, for the past year from Sept. 28, 2025, to Sept. 28, 2026, there were 5,932 hospitalizations due to respiratory illnesses, 170 adult deaths and one pediatric death.

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The state health department's data for the week ending Oct. 2 shows that emergency department visits for COVID-19 and influenza are very low, but increasing. Overall respiratory illness activity remains very low in Maryland.

Vaccinations in Maryland skyrocketed on Oct. 1 compared to Sept. 1 of 2026. So far, 135,366 Marylanders have been vaccinated for the flu and 50,624 people have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

In response to the anticipated moderately severe flu season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recommended that people update all three components of the 2026-2027 flu vaccine, including a change designed to protect against the influenza A(H3N2) subclade K virus that circulated widely during the 2025-2026 season. Manufacturers project producing up to 135 million doses for the U.S. market.

Furthermore, the CDC expects the upcoming U.S. fall and winter respiratory disease season will likely have a similar combined number of peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza and RSV disease combined when compared to last season.

  • COVID-19: As of Sept. 18, COVID-19 activity is elevated and increasing nationally, but overall hospitalizations remain low. Scenario modeling indicates that, assuming a variant with moderate immune escape properties does not emerge, the peak weekly COVID-19 hospitalization rate during the 2026-2027 fall and winter season will be similar to the peak burden in previous years, according to the CDC.
  • Influenza: As of Sept. 18, seasonal influenza activity is low and there is no evidence to indicate that a high severity season is more likely during the 2026-2027 respiratory disease season than observed historically. As of September 2026, influenza activity has been moderate, has peaked and is declining in most Southern Hemisphere countries, where influenza activity typically occurs during April–September and sometimes lasts until October or November, according to the CDC.
  • RSV: As of Sept.18, RSV disease activity is very low in most areas of the country. The peak hospitalization rate due to RSV disease during the 2025-2026 season was later than historic seasons. The CDC said the reason RSV hospitalizations peaked later than expected during the 2025-2026 season is uncertain.

Flu Symptoms

The flu can cause mild to severe illness. Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly, according to the CDC.

People who have the flu often feel some or all of these signs and symptoms:

  • Fever* or feeling feverish/chills
  • Cough
  • Sore throat
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue (tiredness)
  • Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

*Not everyone with flu will have a fever.

Where To Find The Flu Vaccine

Residents should check with their preferred pharmacy for vaccine availability, types of vaccines offered, insurance coverage and whether or not an appointment is required.

Find a local CVS pharmacy online here, a Walmart pharmacy here and a Walgreens pharmacy here. Giant and Safeway pharmacies also offer vaccines.

Below is a list of other locations offering the flu vaccine, as well as sites that are part of county health vaccine offerings.

Howard County

Below is the Howard County Health Department's 2026-2027 community flu shot schedule with free walk-up vaccinations offered at multiple locations starting Oct. 1.

  • Owen Brown Place, 7080 Cradlerock Way, Columbia
  • St. John Baptist Church, 9055 Tamar Drive, Columbia
  • Deep Run Elementary School, 6925 Old Waterloo Road, Elkridge
  • Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department, 5700 Rowanberry Drive, Elkridge
  • Dar Al-Taqwa Mosque, 10740 Route 108, Ellicott City
  • North Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel
  • Elkridge Branch Library/50+ Center, 6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge
  • Laurel Woods Elementary School, 9250 N. Laurel Road, Laurel
  • Howard County Library System — East Columbia Branch, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia
  • Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia
  • Howard County Library System — Miller Branch, 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City
  • Chin Bethel Church, 6801 Douglas Legum Drive, Elkridge

Other locations offering the flu vaccine in Howard County include:

Harford County

Prince George's County

Baltimore County

The Baltimore County Health Department offers free seasonal influenza vaccination clinics to the public with more information available at Baltimore County Vaccinations.

Anne Arundel County

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health will offer community vaccination clinics, but officials said vaccines aren't available yet.

  • Glen Burnie Health Center, 416 A Street S.W., Glen Burnie
  • Magothy Health Center, 2501 Mountain Road, Pasadena
  • Parole Health Center, 1950 Drew Street, Annapolis
  • Lula Scott Health Center, 6243 Shady Side Road, Shady Side

Other locations include:

Montgomery County

Residents can schedule a flu vaccine appointment through the Montgomery County Health Department at one of 17 locations online via Montgomery County Apps.

  • Dennis Avenue Health Center, 2000 Dennis Ave., Suite 1400, Silver Spring
  • Glen Haven Elementary School, 10900 Inwood Ave., Wheaton
  • Flower Hill Elementary School, 18425 Flower Hill Way, Gaithersburg
  • Cannon Road Elementary School, 901 Cannon Road, Silver Spring
  • Rolling Terrace Elementary School, 705 Bayfield St., Takoma Park
  • White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring
  • Clifton Park Baptist Church, 8818 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring
  • American Diversity Group — Germantown, Middlebrook Road, Suite 400, Germantown
  • Kids MCS, 14015 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring
  • A. Mario Loiederman Middle School, 12701 Goodhill Road, Silver Spring
  • Sally Ride Elementary School, 21301 Seneca Crossing Drive, Germantown

Other locations include:

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