Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network has already seen seven flu-related hospitalizations this season, all of which occurred among individuals who skipped their flu shots, according to The Morning Call.
Jeffrey Jahre, MD, senior vice president of medical and academic affairs at St. Luke's, said some patients needed to be put on a ventilator or a heart-lung machine.
"We've seen that every year," he told The Morning Call. "Almost inevitably, people who have gotten the vaccine rarely have the very severe complications in comparison to people who have not gotten the vaccine."
The Pennsylvania Department of Health received 122,000 reports of flu during the 2017-18 flu season, and 258 people died, including seven children. This figure marks the highest death toll since the state began recording flu rates.