HONOLULU (KHON2) — Doctors nationwide said this is the worst flu season in 15 years. The CDC estimates about 24 million flu illnesses and 13,000 deaths, including at least 57 children.

Although Hawaii’s flu season lasts year-round, some said this strain feels different.

On Feb. 1, local bus driver Joshua Seals said he woke up in the middle of the night feeling ill.

“Around 2:30 a.m., I woke up with shortness of breath and it was hard to breathe, my back was in extreme pain,” Seals said.

He drove to the emergency room and they did tests for Covid and influenza.

Seals recalled having Covid twice over the past few years and said it “was a similar feeling, but the back pain and the body aches was like a 10, like 1,000 on the pain scale.”

He posted to social media and many said they have similar symptoms. He said his fiance went to the store to buy him cold medicine but the shelves were almost sold out.

“A lot of people were saying they had the flu some people said they had it for 10 days, they were out for 10 days,” he said.

Experts said Hawaii’s flu season lasts all year, but the state is starting to see an uptick in cases.

“For the first five, six weeks of this year, we’re seeing about 100 patients a day, more than what we were seeing in December, and a lot of those patients are in the hospital with flu,” explained Healthcare Association of Hawaii CEO Hilton Raethel.

Although hospitals are busier, he said they’re not overwhelmed and Covid cases are low.

“We only have one patient across the entire state in an ICU today who’s Covid positive,” Raethel added. “And so flu right now is having more of an impact on our doctors, emergency rooms and hospitals than Covid is.”

Since the flu season began in the fall, the state health department said 19 people have died from influenza, which is up from 18 deaths the year before.

“Certainly, we’ve seen higher numbers of tests positive for flu this year compared to last statewide,” explained state deputy epidemiologist Dr. Nathan Tan. “This past week, it’s been 1,200 positive tests for flu compared to 70 last year.”

He said it seems to be a moderate flu season based on emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

The DOH also recommends proper hygiene and reminds people to stay home when they are feeling ill.

“Good hygiene, cough etiquette and washing your hands after help prevent transmission,” the DOH added.