Local health officials are optimistic that the mild start to the flu season is a good omen heading into winter, though there’s no guarantee that it will stay that way as seasonal flu activity in Bartholomew County typically ramps up between December and March.
Currently, seasonal flu activity in the U.S. is “unusually low” and was “minimal” in Indiana as of the week ending Nov. 21, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Columbus Regional Hospital has not had any confirmed flu hospitalizations so far this season, the hospital said.
The milder-than-usual start to the flu season is believed to be related to people taking measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and a higher number of people getting vaccinated, local health officials said.
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Much like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, influenza viruses are primarily transmitted via respiratory droplets made when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, according to the CDC.
Precautions taken against COVID-19 — like wearing masks, avoiding crowds and keeping distance from people — will also help reduce the spread of the seasonal flu, health officials said.
Countries in the Southern Hemisphere like South Africa, Australia, Argentina and Chile — where flu activity peaks between April and September — diagnosed hardly any flu this year thanks to COVID-19 restrictions combined with a big push for influenza vaccinations, according to The Associated Press.
“I’m optimistic that flu activity will be lower this year due to mask wearing and physical distancing,” said Brian Niedbalski, Bartholomew County health officer. “It also appears that more people are getting flu vaccinations this year. That should help lower the number of cases as well.”
As of last week, CRH had administered at least 15,704 flu vaccines this season, up from at least 13,871 last season, the hospital said.
Those figures, however, don’t include pediatric, Medicaid or uninsured patients.
The Bartholomew County Health Department has administered 800 flu shots over roughly the past three months, compared to a total of 1,070 doses administered from July 1, 2019 to June 30, county officials said.
The seasonal flu is an acute respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that can vary in severity and potentially be fatal.
Influenza viruses typically circulate in Bartholomew County between October and March, though flu activity usually peaks in the United States between December and February, according to the CDC.
This year, local health officials say it is more important than ever to get a flu shot, which they say will reduce the risk of illness, hospitalization or death from flu — and free up resources for COVID-19 patients.
The local concerns come amid a nationwide effort led by the CDC to dramatically increase flu vaccinations this year and inoculate a record number of people in the United States, according to wire reports.
To meet the increased demand for flu vaccines, drugmakers said they would supply U.S. health care providers with a record 194 to 198 million doses of flu vaccines this season, according to the CDC.
The hope is that the vaccines will prevent millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths from flu and ease the burden on hospitals that are already being stretched to their limits amid recent surges in COVID-19.
Though COVID-19 is significantly more deadly than the flu, influenza and pneumonia are currently listed as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC. This past flu season, influenza was responsible for 39 million to 56 million illnesses and 24,000 and 62,000 deaths, CDC estimates show.
In Indiana, one death associated with influenza was reported from Sept. 27 to Nov. 21, compared to 132 last flu season, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
By comparison, there were 1,744 deaths in Indiana from COVID-19 over the same time period.
A total of 183 Bartholomew County residents died from influenza or pneumonia during a 15-year period from 2003 to 2017, according to the latest figures available from the Indiana State Department of Health.
At least 65 Bartholomew County residents have died from COVID-19 since April.
Local health officials, for their part, are continuing to urge people to get their flu shots this year.
“We strongly encourage everyone to get a flu vaccine,” said Amanda Organist, director of nursing at the Bartholomew County Health Department. “Flu, COVID and other illnesses have similar symptoms. It is important to get a flu vaccine to help prevent and/or lessen the severity of influenza. Continue to practice good hand hygiene, avoid touching your face, and stay home when ill.”
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For more photos of the walk-in flu clinic, go to therepublic.com.
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