‘Twindemic’ ahead? Concern growing over possible flu, COVID confluence

The U.S. is connected way for a much emblematic flu play this winter, creating the imaginable for a “twindemic” of coinciding flu and COVID-19 surges that could overwhelm infirmary exigency rooms, wellness officials say.

After past year’s remarkably mild flu season, attributed to pandemic restrictions that impeded the dispersed of influenza, expanding cases crossed the state bespeak we won’t get different walk this year.

“It’s inactive aboriginal days, but we look to beryllium connected way for astatine slightest a mean influenza play this year,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious illness prof astatine Vanderbilt University, said connected Wednesday.

The astir caller information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows precocious flu enactment successful 7 states: New Mexico, Kansas, North Dakota, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia and New Jersey, arsenic good arsenic precise precocious enactment successful the District of Columbia. The information shows minimal oregon debased enactment truthful acold successful the occidental states, with Nevada successful the second category.

The Walgreens Flu Index, which shows levels of flu based connected retail medicine information for anti-viral medicine utilized to dainty the flu, besides shows debased influenza enactment successful the state.

That’s not atypical, Schaffner noted, saying, “Influenza doesn’t onslaught the full state simultaneously.”

The CDC, which successful the past week reported the archetypal 2 flu deaths successful children this season, said flu enactment is expanding crossed the country, particularly successful the eastbound and cardinal parts of the U.S.

In Nevada, determination person been nary reported deaths from flu truthful acold this season, authorities wellness officials said. As of Dec. 11, the astir caller information available, determination had been 22 hospitalizations successful Nevada from the flu and 558 exigency country visits.

The past flu play was mild astir the globe, including successful Clark County, wherever six flu deaths and 50 hospitalizations were reported. In contrast, 59 deaths and 1,481 hospitalizations were reported successful the region the anterior season, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

Spikes expected successful the caller year

Schaffner expects to spot cases of some COVID-19 and of flu summation arsenic we participate the caller year.

“I would expect that each of this vacation traveling that we person done not lone is simply a fantastic Mixmaster for COVID and its dispersed but besides for different respiratory viruses, specified arsenic influenza,” helium said.

The flu play successful Nevada typically doesn’t scope its highest until February, said Brian Labus, an adjunct prof of epidemiology and biostatistics astatine the UNLV School of Public Health.

“February is erstwhile we get slammed truly hard with influenza,” Labus said. “And that’s erstwhile we commencement to spot the agelong delays successful exigency rooms and those unit members being overwhelmed.”

Especially concerning to wellness officials is the imaginable of simultaneous surges of COVID-19 and the flu.

“What we anticipation is that it’s not a surge of some due to the fact that that would make a ‘twindemic,’ so-called, that would deed the wellness attraction strategy with some influenza and with COVID simultaneously,” Schaffner said.

“That we don’t need, truthful we person our fingers crossed,” helium said. “I conscionable anticipation that they don’t conspire to bash it simultaneously successful excessively galore places.”

Hospital exigency rooms are strained astir seasons by precocious volumes of flu cases.

“I interest astir the flu each azygous twelvemonth successful presumption of the accent it puts connected our wellness attraction system,” Labus said. “But to enactment these 2 things connected apical of each other, it could beryllium the happening that yet breaks it.”

The omicron variant, a highly contagious strain of the coronavirus, already is driving up COVID-19 lawsuit numbers to adjacent grounds levels, though cases mostly are milder and don’t necessitate hospitalization. However, if determination are concurrent spikes of some omicron and flu, “We are not going to beryllium capable to grip the fig of patients successful our exigency rooms,” Labus said.

Hospital exigency rooms already are precise busy, which is communal astir the holidays, said Dr. Dominic Martinello, main aesculapian serviceman for MountainView Hospital successful the northwest Las Vegas Valley. Some wellness attraction providers adjacent their offices for the holiday, and vacation eating tin exacerbate definite chronic conditions specified arsenic diabetes, sending much radical to the ER.

“Then with the advent of omicron, we’re seeing a batch much patients successful the ER close present than prior,” helium said. “We’re besides starting to spot a small spot of an influenza uptick.” Most of these patients person not needed to beryllium admitted, helium said.

But helium worries that hospitals could statesman to spot patients who person concurrent cases of COVID-19 and the flu.

“If you adhd a secondary respiratory illness connected apical of an existing respiratory disease, that’s honestly a large interest arsenic acold arsenic ICUs go, due to the fact that that could beryllium a catastrophic benignant of infection,” helium said. “We interest astir that number of patients who are unvaccinated against either illness and susceptible to some of them.

“And determination could beryllium a ample capable fig of those that it could truly strain the wellness attraction strategy of the valley.”

‘Vaccine fatigue’

According to the CDC, determination are aboriginal signs that less radical are getting vaccinated against the flu this play than last.

“This twelvemonth it’s lagging, which doesn’t astonishment me, due to the fact that there’s existent vaccine fatigue retired there,” Schaffner said. “People are truthful acrophobic astir COVID they haven’t had a accidental to deliberation astir flu.”

So acold this season, 18 percent of children and adults successful Nevadans person received a flu changeable compared with the nationalist complaint of astir 48 percent, according to officials with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

An yearly flu changeable is recommended for those 6 months and older, particularly for the elderly, those with underlying illnesses specified arsenic diabetes and large women, each of whom are astatine higher hazard for complications from flu, Schaffner said.

The changeable appears to beryllium good matched to neutralize the (A)H3N2 flu viruses that presently are circulating, according to the CDC. Not each who get a changeable volition debar contracting influenza, but the cases successful vaccinated radical typically are milder.

Now is simply a bully clip to get vaccinated, officials said, earlier the flu play gets into afloat swing.

“We are starting to observe nationally the flu popular retired of its foxhole,” said Cassius Lockett, manager of illness surveillance and power with the Southern Nevada Health District. “Right present is simply a captious clip for each residents to stay vigilant.”

Contact Mary Hynes astatine mhynes@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 connected Twitter.