A source familiar with the situation told NBC 7 there are hundreds of cases and almost half of the school is affected or absent.
The county reports that no hospitalizations have yet been linked to the illness investigation at the school, but local hospitals, includingRady Children's Hospital said it has seen a recent spike in emergency room visits for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
San Diego County reported a total of 304 lab-confirmed influenza cases last week, bringing the total for the season that started on July 3 to 1,082. At the same time last year, the county had reported 200 cases of the flu. The flu shot, COVID-19 primary dose vaccines, and bivalent boosters are widely available across the region. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated against both viruses yearly.
It takes about two weeks after vaccination for immunity to develop. The CDC also indicates people can get the flu and COVID-19 vaccination at the same time, including a booster dose. The COVID-19 vaccine does not work against influenza and vice versa.During the 2020-21 flu season, 848 influenza cases were reported in San Diego, including two deaths. During the 2019-20 flu season, more than 20,700 flu cases were reported and 108 San Diegans died from influenza.