Fall is upon us and with the cooler temperatures comes another flu season.
This flu season takes on a different tone in North Carolina, where more people died from the flu during the 2024-2025 season than any previous stretch since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. From Oct. 5, 2024, through last week, the state saw 544 people die from the virus.
Other WRAL Top Stories
A new law went into effect Wednesday that allows pharmacists to test and treat the flu without the obligation of needing a prescription. House Bill 67 was enacted to make North Carolina one of more than 40 states to create a faster way for patients to get the care they need.
This will save families time and money, keeping them from having to get a physician or urgent care to write a script, then go to a separate pharmacy to fill it.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and State Health Director Dr. Larry Greenblatt worked to issue Standing Orders on Tuesday to authorize the move.
The most deaths from the flu in 2025 came in early February. There were 147 logged deaths in the first two weeks of the month. There were 384 people 65 years and older who died from the virus.
“Starting October 1st, we’ll be able to do testing – point of care testing – for patients, directly here in the pharmacy," said Steve Adkins with Health Park Pharmacy. "If those are positive, we’ll both be able to write the prescription for the patient, and if there’s anyone else in the home that’s potentially going to be exposed, we can do prophylactic for that person for Tamiflu."
Medications like Tamiflu work best within two days of your first symptoms, so starting it early is crucial to reducing serious infections. Pharmacists said this law will help them better serve our most vulnerable communities.
Seasonal flu shots are recommended for everyone 6 months and older – to reduce your risk of severe illness. Early October is considered the best time to get them.
Vaccination appointments are easy to schedule. You can do so online through most major pharmacies.