The Health Ministry has issued new recommendations amid a sharp increase in flu cases, urging vulnerable groups, medical staff, and visitors to geriatric institutions to wear protective face masks. Recent data shows over 500 new cases of influenza A and one case of influenza B, with four children succumbing to the illness in the past three weeks. Vaccination rates have risen, with over 1.5 million people immunized, though coverage among those aged 65 and over is slightly lower than last year. The ministry is encouraging high-risk populations to get vaccinated, as the current flu season is marked by higher and earlier-than-usual morbidity, attributed to a new sub-variant of influenza A.