Is this year's version a bit different? Could it be my first flu in 20 years?

It started with my eldest son. Last Wednesday (12/18).
He had a fever over 40°C, so I took him to the local pediatrician. He tested positive for the flu on the first try.

While waiting for the prescription, I showed him videos in the car. Apparently, modern flu medication isn't just oral medicine anymore.

Over the weekend (12/21), my eldest daughter developed a fever. My wife and I took her to the same pediatrician on Saturday, and she tested positive. She was prescribed the same medication.

On Sunday, my wife started complaining that she felt off. She said her throat hurt.
At the start of the week (12/23), my wife also tested positive. Furthermore, my eldest son, who had symptoms first, still hadn't seen his fever go down, so we went back to the doctor and he was prescribed antibiotics.

Everyone in the family except for me is coughing and hacking; it's truly a desperate situation.

Well, I haven't had the flu in 20 years. I remember 20 years ago, I took Tamiflu and was back on my feet in one night. I figured medical technology had advanced since then, and this current medication must be even more effective, so I took it lightly. But everyone is having a prolonged recovery.

A colleague at work caught it three weeks ago, and it seems his cough still hasn't subsided.
I started to feel a terrifying premonition that I might be next.

Yes. In this world, there is an order to things.
Today (12/24), in the morning. I felt a slight sense of fatigue and, with trepidation, took my temperature.
37.5°C!
Once more.
Naturally, the result was the same.

Resignation? Preparedness?
It was a feeling close to that. I immediately booked an appointment at the same pediatrician as my family for a combined flu and COVID test.

“It’s negative.”
The elderly doctor said it quite plainly.

Huh?

“Since everyone in your family has it, it might be psychosomatic, or perhaps not enough time has passed for it to show up on the test. If you still have a fever tomorrow, please come back.”

Ah, I am grateful to my mother for giving me such a sturdy body.
Indeed, my throat doesn't hurt, and I don't have a cough. Maybe it really is just in my head. I can go to work tomorrow.

That’s what I thought. At least until I finished lunch.

After lunch, I took the dog for a walk in the neighborhood.
It was a clear winter day; the wind was cold, but it was a beautiful Christmas Eve. It felt like I could hear Jingle Bells from somewhere (though it would be out of place to hear that on a riverbank in this rural town).
That was when it happened. That thing I had already started to forget came for me. The “chills” running from the base of my back up to the nape of my neck.
Brrr.

After this hits, a fever follows all at once.
I’ve experienced that many times since I was a child.
Though it’s been so long that I had truly almost forgotten about it.

Apologizing to the dog who didn't seem to have walked enough, I hurried home.
My back teeth were chattering a little.
I took my temperature and it was 38.5°C.

I immediately crawled into bed, but I was cold.
I dozed off for a while.

I took my temperature again.
39.1°C. ← I am here now.

Well, I guess I’ll go to the doctor again tomorrow.
If it’s negative again, I’ll have to laugh.

Is there such a thing as a Christmas present like this?

At the moment, I have almost no sore throat (just a slight feeling of discomfort). I have no cough at all.
I also have an appetite.

When I spoke with the elderly doctor today, he mentioned that even ordering test kits every day isn't enough to keep up. He said it's an outbreak unlike anything seen in recent times.

Everyone, please take care of yourselves.