After years of pandemic focus, flu is once again emerging as the bigger threat in North Texas hospitals.

"We've had COVID, COVID, COVID on our mind, right?" said Dr. Joseph Chang, chief medical officer at Parkland Health. "But actually, what we found is, really, over the last 12 to 18 months or so, flu has now again become the bigger problem. Admissions from flu, even death from flu now, far outpace COVID."

It's a healthcare wake-up call in a time of growing vaccine hesitancy. Local experts are urging the community to stay vigilant about COVID, but not to forget about the flu.

CDC data shows flu toll

According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half a million Americans were hospitalized during the last flu season. Approximately 28,000 died from flu-related complications.

Parkland Health is preparing for the worst. "We are stocking up on both of those vaccines," Chang said. "We're going to offer them to the appropriate people in all of our clinics, in our hospital. We're going to do flu drives, just like we always have."

Public may be forgetting risks

Chang said he worries the public has grown complacent. "The public has forgotten how sick people can get, whether it's COVID or the flu," he said. "The flu now is really a more severe disease than most of our COVID strains. And so, those are two things that people need to understand. It's vaccination, vaccination, vaccination."

New vaccine rules spark concern

This local push for science-based prevention comes amid national controversy. Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—a known vaccine skeptic—the Food and Drug Administration recently authorized updated COVID vaccines but restricted their use for most age groups.

Updated COVID vaccine guidelines:

• Approved for seniors 65 and older
• Approved for those with underlying health conditions
• Emergency use authorization rescinded for healthy young children

CDC officials resign in protest

The changes have sparked backlash. Four senior CDC officials have resigned in protest, citing political interference in the agency's scientific work.

"I think for us this was really—we were sending out a bat signal," said Dr. Debra Houry, former chief science and medical officer at the CDC. "We needed to stand together and try to do what we could to raise the alarm around public health in our country."

Doctors urge personal consultation

CBS News reporter Robbie Owens asked Chang whether the new vaccine recommendations could lead to public indifference.

"Yeah, I certainly hope not, Robbie," Chang responded. "And I think that's a really good question."

His advice? Talk to your doctor. "Even if you don't think you fit into those criteria, maybe you actually do," he said. "So definitely go see your doctor and get a professional opinion. Not Dr. Google."