Flu May Burden Health Care System Already Stressed By Coronavirus

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The fight against coronavirus is not over. As temperatures dip, health officials worry that the ongoing battle could face an unnecessary challenger: the flu.

Coronavirus and influenza share similar symptoms in mild cases. Both sicknesses can cause fevers, aches, fatigues, coughs and sore throats, but coronavirus remains more likely to lead to serious illness.

These commonalities make it difficult to tell the difference between the viruses without an exam. The Department of Health believes this will increase the demand for coronavirus tests as the flu season progresses.

Gov. Larry Hogan has repeatedly assured the state that it has an abundance of coronavirus tests that will last for months. Hogan's recent acquisition of 250,000 rapid results tests is his latest move to grow Maryland's diagnostic capabilities.

Health leaders don't think an increased demand will hinder the state's testing operations. They are, however, concerned about overburdening an already-stressed health care system.

Coronavirus hospitalizations are starting to climb in Maryland, so the state Department of Health wants to save space for a potential influx of patients. The last thing the state needs is two respiratory illnesses running concurrently, health officials say.

It's difficult to gauge how many influenza infections Maryland has, but the state can track other statistics. The flu hospitalized nearly 4,000 Marylanders last season. It killed 82 people, including six minors. Though these metrics are a fraction of the same coronavirus statistics, the Department of Health is still anxious.

Adding flu patients to hospitals lessens their ability to battle coronavirus. That's why the Department of Health is pushing the flu vaccine hard this year.

"We don’t have a vaccine against COVID-19 at this point, but we do have a vaccine for the flu," said Kurt Seetoo, the program manager of the Center for Immunization at the Maryland Department of Health. "We can prevent the flu, so again go out and get your flu shot."

The vaccine is widely available this year. Manufacturers distributed an additional 20 million doses Seetoo said. With an abundance of immunizations and plenty of free clinics, anybody who wants a flu vaccine should be able to get one.

Some people are still skeptical. Opposers fear that the shot itself will transmit the flu.

While somebody may experience symptoms after their flu vaccine, they likely don't have the sickness. There are two types of the immunizations, but neither can actually transmit influenza, Seetoo says.

The first kind, called the inactive shot, contains only a fraction of the virus. That means it does not have all the ingredients necessary to infect somebody.

The other variety, named the live attenuated nasal spray, has a living virus in it. Despite this, the vaccine is made in a way that it cannot spread within a person's body.

"Some people say they get the flu from the flu vaccine, when in fact that is not true," Seetoo said. "There is not any way that you can get the flu from the flu vaccine."

The flu season is already underway in Maryland. It usually starts in October and ends around April. The peak typically falls between December and February, but Seetoo notes that these ranges are estimates that can vary between years.

Maryland recommends the vaccine to everybody over 6 months old. Some conditions make people especially susceptible to the flu. The state says this year's flu shot is imperative for:

• Children 6 months through 5 years old
• People over 50 years old
• Adults and children who have chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, neurologic, hematologic or metabolic disorders
• People who are immunocompromised
• Women who are or will become pregnant during the flu season
• Children and adolescents who are receiving aspirin, or salicylate, containing medications and who might be at risk for Reye’s syndrome after influenza virus infection
• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• Adults who have a body mass index more than 40

Details about the flu shot and free vaccination clinics are available at this link. Flu information and statistics will be updated here.

Maryland will continue its vaccination push through its "Fight the Flu" campaign. The Department of Health announced this movement Tuesday.

The effort will include TV ads, social media outreach and educational materials for at-risk groups. "Fight the Flu" will continue throughout the fall and winter.

Coronavirus Statistics Update

Maryland counted 630 coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the state's total to 133,548 infections. The state also reported six more coronavirus-related deaths. The virus has killed 3,883 Marylanders to date.

The state's positivity rate has seen an uptick since it bottomed out at 2.54 percent on Sept. 24. The seven-day rolling average now sits at 3.08 percent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says jurisdictions should aim to keep their percent positivity below 5 percent. Maryland has been beneath that benchmark since June 25. The weekly positivity rate topped out at 26.88 percent on April 17.

"State health officials continue to closely monitor trends in our critical health metrics," Hogan tweeted Thursday. "We are all in this together, and we need each and every Marylander to do their part to help slow the spread and keep our communities safe."

Maryland's hospitalizations have fluctuated in recent months. They hit an overall peak of 1,711 on April 30. After falling to a low of 385 on July 10, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients spiked to 592 by Aug. 1.

Hospitalizations then marched down to a recent low of 290 on Sept. 21, but they are back on the rise. Maryland reported 412 coronavirus-related hospitalizations Thursday.

The state also closely monitors an infections-per-capita metric called the case rate. This is the average number of new cases-per-day per 100,000 people over a rolling week.

The case rate maxed out at 18.03 on May 7 before plummeting to 5.6 on June 24. The lull didn't last long, as the case rate hopped to a recent high of 15.55 on July 31. Another downswing dropped the case rate to 7.63 on Sept. 26, but it is already back up to 9.74.

RELATED:

• Coronavirus Hospitalizations Rise In Maryland, Case Rate Climbs
• Nursing Homes Resume Indoor Visits, Day Cares Fully Reopen: Hogan
• How Hogan Will Use New Arsenal Of Rapid-Results Coronavirus Tests
• Movie Theaters, Concert Venues Can Reopen: Hogan's Plan Explained
• Maryland Schools May Begin Safely Reopening: Governor Hogan

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