Flu is rising earlier than expected in El Paso County, Colorado, and it is not the only respiratory illness going around. El Paso County Public Health told KKTV that influenza, pertussis (whooping cough), and COVID-19 are all circulating in the community as the respiratory season gets underway.
Haley Zachary, the department's communicable disease division manager, said flu numbers are higher than officials usually see this early in the season. "We are seeing an earlier rise in higher numbers of flu," she said, adding that higher numbers typically arrive around December or January.
