If you felt under the weather in November, you weren’t alone. There were 876 reported cases of the flu last month, a record high for November since the Springfield-Greene County Health Department began keeping track two decades ago.
The 876 cases greatly surpass the second-highest November on record. In 2009, 230 cases were reported. Springfield's rough start mirrors national trends, and local health officials on Thursday said a wave this high and this early in the flu season suggests we’re not through the worst of it.
“This is a situation we do not expect to improve over the next few months,” said Jon Mooney, assistant director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
Added Kendra Findley, the health department’s administrator for communicable diseases: “At this point, we don't know if we're at the peak of illness, or if we're just at the beginning of a historic flu season.”
Influx of influenza patients leads hospitals to close doors to visitors 14 and under
Officials from Mercy and CoxHealth said at a Thursday press conference the wave of adult and pediatric patients in need of care for flu symptoms through November led to new visitation restrictions in December.
In an effort to reduce the spread of influenza in the hospitals, children ages 14 and under are currently not allowed to visit patients in either of Springfield’s health care systems. Gregory Ledger, chief medical officer at Mercy Springfield Communities, said the young age group can more often be asymptomatic and inadvertently spread the flu to patients.
Masks are mandatory at the care facilities as well, Ledger said, and Mercy employees are being screened for flu symptoms.
Ledger said the latest census of Mercy patients showed about 520 receiving care at Mercy. Currently, 76 patients are receiving care for cases of COVID-19, influenza or RSV. Here is the breakdown:
- COVID-19 - 37 patients (36 adults, one pediatric)
- Influenza – 25 patients (22 adults, three pediatric)
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – 14 patients (eight adults, six pediatric)
“We have more patients hospitalized with COVID, but there are more patients infected, most likely, in the community with influenza, and probably (fewer) people vaccinated,” Ledger said, adding that there is a concern another flu wave could rise given how early in the season that the first has.
Howard Jarvis, the medical director of emergency departments at CoxHealth, said there have been high numbers of patients with respiratory illnesses admitted for care at CoxHealth hospitals as well.
“In the last several weeks, we have been seeing (a) really high percentage of patients with RSV and our pediatric floors have been very full with respiratory patients, particularly RSV,” Jarvis said. “But over the last week or two, that's changing, and now we're seeing a lot more patients that have influenza on the pediatric side. We've been running about 75 to 100 percent capacity on pediatric patients, and about 75 percent of our pediatric admissions are related to respiratory illness. Not very much COVID on the pediatric side. It's been recently influenza and prior to that RSV.”
Across CoxHealth’s emergency departments and urgent care facilities, staff diagnosed about 600 patients with influenza over the past week.
“That is an incredible number, and I do not see that lessening,” he said.
Ledger said the high flu totals have not put Mercy over capacity to treat patients.
“Certainly, there is a stress across the country with staffing, as so many people have left health care during the COVID crisis,” Ledger said. “But I would assure you, we are staffed, and we definitely have the ability to take care of our community and that's not a concern.”
Jarvis said CoxHealth has experienced some capacity issues due to the recent influx of influenza patients but said most patients who get the flu will recover from it, particularly those who elected to get a flu shot. For those who haven’t, he and others said, it’s not too late.
What you can do – get a flu shot, wash hands, stay home if you’re sick, consider masking
About 94 percent of all reported flu cases in the US are variants of Influenza A, Findley said, and added that this season's flu shots are designed to combat them.
“The CDC states that the viruses that are circulating are similar to the components of the flu vaccine,” she said. “So the CDC is recommending everyone over the age of six months get vaccinated. The vaccine is not a cure, but it can protect you from severe illness.”
Department officials on Thursday urged residents to get flu shots if they haven’t already. They encouraged those with insurance to visit their health care provider or a pharmacy. And they invited people who are underinsured or without insurance to visit one of the department’s outreach clinics to start December. A calendar and map of upcoming flu and COVID-19 vaccine opportunities are available online at vaccine417.com.
Mooney asked people who experience symptoms to reach out to their health care providers to determine if they should be tested for any of the three illnesses, and which one. For information on testing opportunities, he pointed the community toward covidtesting417.com. Also, Mooney said, Springfield-Greene County Library District branches now have free COVID-19 at-home test kits available during their hours of operation.
Along with getting a flu shot, Findley said there are numerous ways to control the spread of the flu and avoid it yourself, including:
- Staying home if you’re sick or have been exposed to someone who is sick. “When you have flu, you are infectious to others one day prior to onset to five to six days after,” she said. “So you are literally infectious before you realize that you've got the illness.”
- Washing your hands routinely. “That's the best way you can protect yourself,” she said. “And then, if you have to sneeze or cough, do so into your elbow so that you're not contaminating your hands.”
- Be aware of flu symptoms, including fever, sore throat, fatigue, headache, congestion and body aches.
- Don’t underestimate the flu. “Approximately 36,000 people die every year in the U.S. due to flu and its complications,” Findley said. “This disease is more than a seasonal inconvenience. We worry most about those who are over the age of 65, very young children and those who are immune compromised, as well as pregnant women.”
Mooney added that people at high risk for serious illness might want to consider masking this flu season and encouraged people who are symptomatic and have to go out in public to consider wearing one.
Sick, but don’t know what kind of sick?
Free testing for COVID-19, RSV and Influenza A and B is available at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Teamsters Hall, 1850 E. Division St.
