CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The number of flu-related hospitalizations rose close to record numbers this week, while the number of flu-related deaths reached 21 for the season in Cuyahoga County.
Cuyahoga County reported four additional flu deaths for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3. The victims were all females, ranging in age from 61 to 93, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. This year's U.S. flu season has been driven by the H3N2 strain, a nasty type of flu that tends to put more people in the hospital and cause more deaths than other common flu bugs.
There have been 1,450 flu-related hospitalizations for the season to date, which is edging close to the record of 1,581 set during the 2014-15 season, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health said. About 83 percent of those hospitalized this season in Cuyahoga County have been over 50 years old.
Lake County General Health District reported four additional flu-related deaths since Jan. 9. The victims, three females and one male, were all over 80 years of age. That brings the total number of flu-related deaths in Lake County to seven, all over age 65.
Lorain County Public Health reported five deaths in January that had flu as a contributing factor.
Four deaths in Medina County during the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3 raised the total number of flu-associated victims to 18 there since the beginning of the season, according to the Medina County Health Department. The victims' ages and genders in Lorain and Medina counties were not made available.
The flu is contagious and can cause serious respiratory illness. Symptoms of influenza include moderate to high fever, dry cough, headache, sore throat, chills, runny nose, loss of appetite, muscle aches and tiredness.
Signs that influenza is getting worse include fever, shaking chills, and shortness of breath. "If you feel really sick, you need to be checked out," said Dr. Carla O'Day, director of emergency services at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
How do you know when a child is sick enough to need a doctor's care? When infants and small children have a fever over 101 degrees that doesn't respond to over-the-counter medication, are sleeping more and are lethargic, see a doctor, O'Day said.
Infants and young children are easily dehydrated if they stop eating and drinking because they feel sick, O'Day said. They may need to receive intravenous fluids.
Adults with a high fever (over 101 degrees) that doesn't drop an hour after taking Tylenol or Motrin, severe body aches and a productive cough, should see a doctor to make sure the illness hasn't progressed into pneumonia, O'Day said.
Adults with diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease, pulmonary disease, or are elderly, have lowered resistance to the flu. "Flu can hit you harder," O'Day said.
Your primary care physician or an emergency room doctor can check to see if you have influenza by taking a nasal swab at the back of the nose. Anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu can be prescribed if flu is diagnosed within 48 hours of exposure to the illness.
Despite a recent Canadian study suggesting that this year's flu shot has lower-than-expected effectiveness, doctors still think getting the flu vaccine is worthwhile, O'Day said. While the flu shot isn't perfect, it can reduce illnesses, doctors' visits, and missed work and school, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations.
"If I went to the ER (with influenza) and said I didn't get a flu shot, I'd be a little embarrassed," O'Day said.
You can get a flu shot at many drugstores, retail stores, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and doctors' offices. There are no vaccine shortages in Ohio. The cost is $10 and up, depending on insurance. Click here to find out where to get a vaccine shot near you.
The best thing to do if you have a mild case of the flu is drink plenty of fluids. Why? When you have a fever, your metabolic rate is higher, making it easy to become dehydrated, she said. Water also boosts the immune system and thins mucous.
"Water is the best cough medicine in the world," O'Day said.
St. Vincent's emergency department has seen a number of flu cases, but it hasn't been overrun and it has an adequate supply of Tamiflu, she said.
Virtual appointments helping
Virtual visit portals, which let patients get medical advice from home, are helping area hospital systems cope with non-emergency flu cases. These digital portals let sick people avoid a trip to the doctor's office or hospital where they could spread the illness to others. Patients with severe flu symptoms are advised to see a doctor in person for further treatment after a virtual visit.
University Hospital's Virtual Visit platform has seen a 134 percent increase in visits when comparing the first two months of last year's flu season to the same time period during the current season, said UH spokeswoman Katelyn McCarthy. Flu and flu-like symptoms accounted for 65 percent of the overall virtual visit volume, McCarthy said in an email.
UH Virtual Visit, available 24 hours a day, lets patients talk to a health care provider by phone or through a secure video conference. Cost is $49 or less, depending on insurance coverage. Virtual Visit is available through www.uhhospitals.org/virtualvisit or the UHNow mobile application.
The Cleveland Clinic virtual visit portal, Express Care Online, has seen about 200 flu-related visits this season, according to a press release.
Clinic patients use their device to connect live with a heath care provider. It costs $49, which is covered by some insurance plans. To access Express Care Online, go to clevelandclinicexpresscare.org/online (copy and paste the URL in your browser) or download the free app at the App Store or Google Play.
Read previous reports about this year's flu season:
Flu 2018: What you need to know about the tough H3N2 virus
Cold or flu? Here's how to tell, plus your flu vaccine questions answered
2018 Flu update: Flu shot effectiveness is lower than originally thought, new study shows
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