It’s flu season, but so far the bug’s bite in Lawrence has been limited.

As of Tuesday morning, nurse practitioner Lori Winfrey said she had seen only two people who likely had the flu at Health Care Access, 1920 Moodie Road.

“I had one patient tell me she felt like she had been run over by a truck, so that sounds pretty bad,” Winfrey said.

The nurse practitioner said she expected the number of patients complaining of flu symptoms would only increase. Other area health officials expect the same.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Michele Berendsen said the hospital’s lab has had 11 people test positive for influenza since Jan. 3. The people have ranged in age from 5 months to 86 years old, she said.

“Last year’s flu season hit a lot earlier than this year, so it’s too early to know about the severity of the flu this year,” Berendsen said.

Last year, the community was caught off-guard by the flu virus. It struck in December, about a month earlier than normal. That meant large absentee rates for the Lawrence school district.

Few parents have reported their children sick with flu so far, said Katy Buck, the district’s health services facilitator.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been regional reports of flu in Kansas.

“At this point, I’d say the northeast part of the state isn’t seeing as much activity as other parts of the state,” said Janelle Martin of the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department. “It just seems like more people have been struggling with colds right now rather than the flu.”

The flu bug has been slowly moving across the United States this year.

As a result, Martin said a flu shot still could be a benefit, especially because anyone can now get a dose of flu vaccine. The health department had more than 70 doses of vaccine Tuesday morning, and Martin said officials were expecting to receive 100 more later this week.