Flu surges in California while vaccination rates dip

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• The flu is surging in California at the same time vaccination rates have dipped.
• Trump targets paper straw purchases by federal government — and won’t stop there.
• The Grammy Museum’s second floor just got a little louder.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

California’s worst flu season in 5 years

Bird flu is being felt in the egg aisle and COVID-19 is still with us — but seasonal influenza is the virus pummeling California and the rest of the U.S. this winter.

The classic flu is surging in the Golden State, with infections and hospitalizations rising at the same time vaccination rates have dipped.

The positivity rate for flu tests at state labs was nearly 28% as of Feb. 1, marking a level not seen since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.

“That’s higher than the peak of the ‘tripledemic’ winter of 2022-23, when California’s hospitals were stressed by simultaneous high circulation of flu, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV,” Times reporter Rong-Gon Lin II wrote this week.

The rate at which flu tests are coming back with positive results in California’s clinical sentinel labs has reached heights not seen in the last five years.

(California Department of Public Health)

Flu is up, COVID is down

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the levels of flu in California’s wastewater are “very high.” For comparison, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels are categorized as “high” and COVID levels are considered low. Positive test rates are falling nationally for RSV and COVID, but continue to tick up for flu.

“Influenza predictions suggest that emergency department visits will remain high and may increase in most states,” CDC officials said last week.

Nationally, the CDC estimates there have been roughly 13,000 flu deaths so far this season, including 57 children. At least 24 million illnesses and 310,000 hospitalizations have been recorded.

“This has been a particularly long and difficult flu season compared to recent years,” Dr. Ankita Kadakia, interim public health officer for San Diego County, told Ron. “And it’s not over yet.”

One major complication this season: Fewer children have gotten a flu shot

That’s leaving thousands more vulnerable to severe infections as cases surge.

Cedars-Sinai Hospital registered nurse Karla Lopez prepares a flu shot for a patient in October 2020.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

“47.7% of California’s children have been vaccinated against flu as of late January … the lowest since at least the 2019-20 flu season,” Ron noted. “Last year at this time, 53.7% of children were vaccinated against flu.”

At least 10 children have died from the flu in California this season, including three teenagers in San Diego County. None of those young victims were vaccinated, Ron reported.

Schools can quickly become hot zones for infections. Some campuses in other states have closed this season due to flu outbreaks.

Health officials point to one essential step to limit the spread of infection: get vaccinated if you haven’t already, especially since this flu season is more likely to linger.

That’s advice we may start getting less often — at least from the federal government.

“Some health experts have expressed alarm about the rise in skepticism surrounding vaccine safety — including from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” Ron noted.

You can read more of Ron’s reporting on our potent flu season here.

Today’s top stories

An aerial view of the “alphabet streets” neighborhood between Galloway Street and Hartzell Street after the Palisades fire.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Behind the staggering economic toll of the L.A. wildfires

• Estimates of the total economic loss from the wildfires have ballooned to more than $250 billion, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
• Countywide, gross domestic product is expected to drop by an estimated $4.6 billion this year.

A judge sides with UC students and blocks DOGE from Education Department loan data

• The decision marks at least a temporary setback for Musk’s DOGE associates, whom President Trump tapped to slash federal government spending.
• Democrats accuse the group — not a federal department, despite its name — of illegally barreling its way through government agencies.
• The move will be in place through Monday as both sides prepare arguments in the case.

President Trump has declared the last straw

• Trump signed an executive order forbidding the federal government to purchase paper straws.
• He’s also tasking the executive branch with developing a “National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws” by March 27.
• The order will erase a Biden-era initiative that required federal procurement offices to purchase paper straws in lieu of plastic, and was part of a wider effort to target plastic pollution.

NBA All-Star weekend: What’s new?

• NBA All-Star weekend kicks off this weekend in San Francisco.
• For the first time, the All-Star Game will become a three-game tournament between four teams in an effort to make the event more competitive.

What else is going on

• The brunt of an atmospheric river storm hits L.A. today: Here’s more on timing, trouble spots, evacuations and more.
• 5 things to know about mudslide risk as major rains hit Los Angeles County.
• U.S. inflation worsened last month as the costs of groceries and gas headed higher.
• Lawmakers target looters in wake of arrests in Los Angeles-area burn zones.
• A constitutional crisis or no? Fears of Trump overreach abound as cases proceed in court.
• A Disneyland visitor launches a class-action lawsuit over new, stricter disability passes.
• Joe Cocker, Mariah Carey and Outkast are among the acts nominated for the first time for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
• A court filing accuses Southern California Edison of tampering with possible Eaton fire evidence.
• Disney is changing some of its internal DEI policies with Trump back in office.
• The FCC launches an effort to ‘root out’ DEI programs, beginning with Comcast.
• After 30 years, In-N-Out leaves corporate office in Orange County.
• Expect the ever-evolving NFL to make many changes for next season. Here’s what to look for.

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Commentary and opinions

• Stanford, UCLA and UC Berkeley are some of the top carbon emitters among college football teams, according to a new analysis, columnist Sammy Roth writes.
• California’s attorney general says we’re not in a constitutional crisis — yet, columnist Anita Chabria writes.
• Solutions: Here’s how the Trump administration can curb housing costs, writes guest columnist Salim Furth.

This morning’s must reads

A bushfire rages during the fight to save the township of Taggerty on Feb. 7, 2009, near Marysville, in Australia’s Victoria state.

(Stephen Henderson / County Fire Authority)

After this Australian town burned down, experts warned against rebuilding. Nobody listened. The Australian town of Marysville once faced the same questions being asked in the Los Angeles neighborhoods that burned. It has been rebuilt to be much safer, but some fire experts say that Marysville will almost certainly burn again. “They shouldn’t have built it back,” said Greg Mullins, a former fire commissioner for the neighboring state of New South Wales. “No question.”

Other must reads

• Hollywood writers say AI is ripping off their work. They want studios to sue.
• How do you create 200 costumes a week? “SNL” designer Tom Broecker takes us behind the scenes.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].

For your downtime

Actors Mads McDonough and Caitlyn Gorman as Asher and Brooklyn in “Love Game,” a new immersive play from Last Call Theater.

(Charly Charney Cohen)

Going out

• 💘 ‘Love Game’ is an interactive play that unfolds inside an L.A. bar — and you’re Cupid.
• 👩🏽‍🍳 LA Cocina de Gloria Molina — a cultural center and community hub in downtown L.A. — sparks a cultural and culinary revolution.
• 🎧 The Grammy Museum’s second floor just got a little louder.

Staying in

• 📚 Beyond Bad Bunny: 5 essential Puerto Rican history reads.
• 🥑 Here’s a recipe for Mexico City-style spicy guacamole.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What’s your Calentine? 💛

Send in your cutest, wittiest Valentine card message, centered on some aspect of life in the Golden State. Please keep your submission under 50 words.

Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... from our archives

(Al Pereira / Getty Images)

On Feb. 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur’s fourth studio album “All Eyez on Me” was released. After he was killed in September 1996, it became his final album released during his lifetime. In a review of the album, former Times reporter Cheo Hodari Coker wrote it was “bitter, remorseless and brilliant.”

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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