TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) has urged residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible as the city’s severe-case and death rates for flu are higher than the national average.

Tainan's public health bureau said Tuesday the city has recorded 13.7 severe flu cases per 100,000 people and 3.9 deaths per 100,000, both well above Taiwan’s averages of 9.8 cases and 2.4 deaths. The city government said the numbers show flu risks are real and rising and should not be brushed off.

The mayor said the double warning of more severe cases and deaths puts pressure on the city’s flu response. Huang added that global flu trends show people should not wait to get a shot.

The city’s health bureau said flu activity is also rising overseas, with faster spread reported in Japan and South Korea. It cited the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying flu cases jumped after Thanksgiving and flu hospitalizations in England rose 55% in one week.

Public Health Bureau Director General Li Tsuey-fong (李翠鳳) said only about 20,000 free flu shots remain in the city and supplies will stop once they run out. She urged seniors, students, people with chronic illnesses, and frontline workers to get vaccinated right away.

The bureau also told residents to wash their hands often, cover coughs, keep rooms aired out, and stay home if they feel sick. Officials said quick action now can help cut the spread and ease pressure on hospitals.