Health
The Austin area battling an especially severe cold and flu season
Cold and flu season has come early to Central Texas this year. Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (commonly known as RSV) began filling emergency rooms and hospital beds in October, when flu season also began.
As of Tuesday, there were no pediatric intensive care unit beds or adult intensive care unit beds in the Central Texas Hospital area, according to the Texas Department of Health Services.
According to the Texas Department of Health Services, the RSV test positive rate in central Texas was around 17% this week, about twice the state’s rate.
According to Austin Public Health, the positive flu test rate is back at 25.16% in Travis County, and 8.87% of all patient visits to doctors had a flu-like illness, Austin Public Health reports. States have slightly higher positivity rates. Locally, doctors see more influenza A than influenza B, but they see both.
COVID-19 is also on the rise again. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still lists all Central Texas counties at the Green level as far as spread and hospital availability are concerned, but positive test rates are on the rise. , up almost 3% from the previous week. Texas rates were not as high. These are tests done at a clinic, hospital, or pharmacy. Prices do not include home testing.
No room in ICU:Austin Children’s Hospitals Across Texas Combat Respiratory Virus Surge
Three diseases are hitting hospitals, especially pediatric hospitals.
The St. David’s Children’s Hospital reported in October that Renee Higgerson, M.D., medical director of inpatient pediatrics and pediatric emergency care at St. David’s Children’s Hospital, said that staff could not find enough beds for children who needed hospitalization. He says he is having a hard time. She is the Medical Director of Pediatrix Group.
“When I look for ICU beds, I call every hospital in the area,” she said. “Everyone is full.”
Overcrowded hospitals continued until November. As Dell Children’s Medical Center opened its new bed tower on Nov. 8, said Deb Brown, the hospital’s chief operating officer.
Hospitals are running at capacity due to respiratory viruses such as RSV and influenza, said Leah Harris, interim director of the hospital and chair of pediatrics at Dell Medical School. “Now it’s our pandemic. Hospitals are full. We need more beds.”
“We can save more lives”:‘More lives can be saved’: Dell Children’s expands capacity with new tower
why is it so bad?
Flu positivity rates are typically about 10% at this time of year, said Dr. Lucie Lacombe, chief clinical officer at Austin Hospital. harbor health medical practice. “It’s been a terrible year,” she said of the flu, with RSV in the community much higher than in a normal year, she said.
For two years, people wore masks or rarely went out. I skipped the flu season and his RSV season mostly because I wasn’t around.
This year has caught up with us as masks have been removed, people are gathering in greater numbers, and immunity has not built up as much as last year.
“It tells us something about the level of immunity that develops from being around more things,” she said.
Leykum also said flu vaccination rates were lower than usual. This is due to hesitance to vaccinate and people forgetting to get their flu shots as temperatures drop.
As expected:Austin-area flu season could be bad, doctor says
How do you know if it’s the flu, COVID-19, or RSV?
Without testing, we don’t know. Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV respiratory viruses have similar symptoms. And this year, Rycom will see people infected with multiple viruses simultaneously, including the flu and his COVID-19.
She predicts that there will be much more influenza and COVID-19 co-infection rates this winter than last year, when it was about 2% to 5%.
When people come to her with fever, cough, congestion, fatigue, body aches, etc., Lacombe tests for both COVID-19 and flu, using the context of what they may have been exposed to. I’m here.
For COVID-19 and influenza, there are antiviral drugs that can be taken to reduce symptoms and shorten their duration.
“For influenza and COVID, we have effective treatments if we start taking them early. For RSV, we only have supportive care,” Leykum said.
Keep fit:Flu season has arrived in Austin.here is what you need to know
These viruses have some differences.
Symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory viruses include runny nose, cough, sneezing, fever, wheezing, and loss of appetite.
Flu symptoms include fever and chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle and body aches, headache, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
“The flu tends to hit you like you hit a wall,” she said. It has an earlier onset than COVID-19 and generally causes a higher fever. When you get the flu, you tend to have more body aches and muscle aches.
Symptoms of COVID-19 are usually fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
COVID-19 tends to increase over several days. “There is still a wide range in the severity of symptoms in people,” Lacombe said.
How about cedar fever?
Cedar fever is actually an allergy caused by male ash juniper trees that try to lure female ash juniper trees by scattering pollen throughout central Texas in December and January.
You may feel miserable as if you had a virus, but the symptoms are different.
People with allergies usually have symptoms such as itchy or watery eyes, puffy eyes, itchy throat, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and sinus headaches. Allergies can also make asthma symptoms worse.
Viruses such as influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 do not itch, but some people with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have an itchy throat.
Unlike viruses, allergies usually do not cause fever unless a sinus infection develops.
Allergy friendly:Itchy, sneezing, painful.Austin Brace for Unwanted Guest Arrivals: Cedar Fever
is there anything else?
Leykum also sees stomach bugs with diarrhea.
Streptococcus is still popular this time of year, but it’s not in heavy rotation.
Where should I go for testing and treatment?
Call your doctor to see if you can get an appointment. Recently, there are many places that are fully booked, but it is helpful to call early.
If you can’t get in, check which emergency clinics your insurance covers. Urgent care clinics often have online appointments so he doesn’t have to wait a day in the waiting room.
If you have difficulty breathing or wheezing, you should head to the emergency room. If you are too sick to eat or drink, you should also go to the emergency room to rehydrate.
New healthcare:Former Dell School of Medicine dean ‘disrupted’ primary care with new Harbor Health
What medicines can I take?
Treat the symptoms, but stay away from over-the-counter drug combinations, says Jody Pepin, M.D., program director of clinical pharmacy at Harbor Health and clinical assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Often these products contain multiple ingredients that a person may already be ingesting, or they are unable to get enough of the products they really need.
Another problem with many of the combination medications is that they contain diphenhydramine, Benadryl’s antihistamine. “If you’re already taking an antihistamine,” she said, “you’ll pass out when you take this, but you may not wake up.”
She also recommends generic drugs as they can save you money with the same effect.
Upper respiratory infections: I take guaifenesin, that’s what’s in regular robitacin and mucinex. Keep your chest and nasal passages clean and moist with a cold-mist humidifier. Do not use a hot humidifier. Bacteria can grow.
cough: Take delcim, which is dextromethorphan. A cough suppressant that lasts for 12 hours.
sore throat: Moisten with an anesthetic spray such as chloraseptic. Use lozenges such as Sepakor or other cough drops. Pepin also recommends hot tea and chicken soup with honey and lemon.
“For most of these ailments that people have, food is medicine,” Pepin said. “Our grandparents knew something.”
Avoid dairy products such as ice cream and milkshakes. They can increase sputum production.
Home remedy:Can drinking elder syrup prevent or reduce flu?
heat: “For a healthy human being, it’s okay not to ingest anything,” Pepin said. is.”
If particularly uncomfortable, you can take ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). You can also alternate once every 4-6 hours and then once every 4-6 hours. they work differently. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory agent. Acetaminophen is a pain reliever.
diarrhea: Imodium (loperamide) or pepto-bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) can also help with nausea.
COVID-19 and Influenza: If you know you have COVID-19 or the flu, or if you have been infected within 48 hours, there are antiviral medications your doctor can prescribe. Paxlovid for COVID-19 and Tamiflu for influenza. They can shorten the course of the disease or reduce symptoms.
Some pharmacies are struggling to keep Tamiflu in stock, especially for children, but manufacturers are expected to catch up by mid-December. You may need to call to find a pharmacy with it.
Immune system booster: Some vitamins help. Pepin recommends B-complex vitamins, especially those containing B12, and vitamin C. Some people also want to take zinc, which works, but avoid overdosing as it is a metal.
allergy: Pepin recommends what she calls the over-the-counter allergy medicine Austin Trifecta: nasal sprays like Flonase (Fluticasone), Singulair anti-inflammatory (Montelukast) to prevent wheezing if you are prone to it. increase. Antihistamines such as Zyrtec (cetirizine) and Claritin (loratadine).
Preparing for the season:Stock up on your child’s medicine cabinet during cold, flu and allergy season
What can you do to avoid getting sick?
Doctors suggest getting a flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. It takes about two weeks to reach protection levels, but “it’s never too late,” Lacombe said. “…winter may be long.”
Remember all the basics you learned with COVID-19. Wash your hands frequently, wear a mask in crowded places, get tested if you have symptoms or have been in direct contact, and stay home if you are sick.
Can we get together for Christmas?
“I think people will come,” Lacombe said. “Naturally, people are sick of it,” she said of the COVID-19 quarantine.
If you are planning a large gathering, we recommend that you take precautions prior to the event and do not attend if anyone has symptoms.
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Sources 2/ https://www.statesman.com/story/news/healthcare/2022/11/30/a-terrible-year-austin-area-battling-a-particularly-rough-cold-and-flu-season/69686099007/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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