Bay Area health officials are urging people to get flu shots as doctors report a rise in cases earlier than usual this season.

UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said he is seeing about four to five times as many flu cases as a month ago, an unusual increase for this time of year. He also reported more cases than at the same point last year and said he is seeing fewer people getting flu shots so far this year.

In Santa Clara County, assistant public health officer Dr. Krishna Surasi said both influenza and COVID-19 are circulating. County health officials are renewing their call for vaccination. Surasi said yearly vaccines contain strains selected to protect against the types of virus circulating that year.