Flu season’s peak is filling local hospitals

Health officials urge more vaccinations
Wash your hands, cover your coughs, don’t go to school or to work with a fever and wash your hands some more. Oh, and it’s not too late to get vaccinated as the local flu season is expected to last until early April.
The above advice, along with information for local caregivers and health care professionals, was released to the public at the end of 2017 by Dr. Karen Milman, Sonoma County’s public health officer.
Since then, all the predictions for a serious flu season have come true, with more than 40 deaths already reported in California. While there have been no flu-related fatalities here, all county hospitals are reporting an overflow of influenza patients.
“We want people to get vaccinated,” said Karen Holbrook, deputy health officer for the county. “It’s not too late and there is no shortage of the vaccine.”
Holbrook also urged anyone with symptoms not to wait and to see a caregiver, especially individuals with other health conditions.
Perhaps only half over, Holbrook said this year’s flu outbreak is “very high” and above all recent years, tracking back to the 2009 pandemic of the H1N1 virus.
“The one thing about the flu is every year it is different. It is still too early to tell what this year will be like,” said Holbrook.
Smaller hospitals such as Sonoma West Medical Center (SWMC) in Sebastopol and the north county’s Healdsburg District Hospital (HDH) this week both reported receiving transferred flu patients from larger hospitals in Santa Rosa.
“Yes, we’re seeing patients coming here from Sutter and others,” said HDH chief nursing officer Roberta Kaemmerling. “We’re doing our (PCR) testing and recording a lot of positive cases.” Many of the flu victims are more elderly with other health conditions she said.
There are two main strains of the influenza virus identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Influenza A (H3N2) is this year’s most prominent strain along with Influenza B (H1N1). The CDC reported this year’s vaccine has been less effective than in previous years but still advise most people (six months and older) to get their shots.
No matter the strain, the influenza virus is a very contagious disease. Anyone with flu-like symptoms of fever or chills should refrain from close contact with others and avoid sharing personal items. Constant hand washing with water and soap is strongly encouraged — both for any flu victims and all others nearby.
Last week, John Peleuses, the CEO at SWMC, announced his hospital was experiencing a heavier than usual patient census due to the flu season and transfers of patients from other hospitals. “We’re glad to be here to assist these other hospitals as part of a network,” he said. “We’ve been proving our worth once again.”
Statewide statistics prove the flu season has not yet peaked, with 15 deaths reported last week, doubling the number of fatal cases from the week before. Some hospitals have flown in extra nursing help and also have erected temporary tents in their parking lots to handle the patient overflow.
Temporary shortages of over-the-counter flu remedies, like Tamiflu, also have been reported.
All local hospitals are practicing extra precautions and tighter isolation policies, with the Healdsburg hospital barring children and visitors under age 12, with just a few exceptions.