The influenza expansion curve is rising, almost vertically. Maybe it’s because the Christmas party started a week ago. Yesterday it hit previous highs and doesn’t seem to be slowing down, quite the opposite. Infections are expected to continue to surge with New Year’s Eve celebrations, and the downward trend will not begin until after Epiphany. These dates are some of the worst they could possibly have, with the calendar filled with holidays and a large portion of the workforce taking them. In addition to sick days – health workers are not immune to respiratory viruses – it is difficult to find staff to step up or simply replace. Hospitals and out-of-hospital emergencies have been overloaded since mid-December, Internal medicine, pulmonology and geriatrics have begun to become saturated; The health sector is reorganizing its resources to prepare for what is expected to be a “very tight strain” on the system at the start of the year.
“This is a devastating influenza epidemic, and we haven’t had an influenza of this severity in many years,” said Dr. Martín Rubianes, chief of the Department of Internal Medicine, who estimated that More than 220 patients were admitted yesterday In his services, twice his average. Yesterday at 12 noon, in the Cunqueiro emergency room, 18 people were waiting to register for the ward to enter this specialty. Twelve people have been diagnosed with influenza A and one person has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Call for immunization
Most of the patients are elderly and medically ill, but Dr. Rubianes stressed that they also take in younger patients with some form of immunosuppression, asthma or other underlying conditions who have not yet received the flu vaccine. “They suffered from wild pneumonia and ended up in intensive care units,” the head of the interior ministry said. therefore, Professionals urge people to get vaccinated. This is still possible.
The Vigo Health District Administration assures that currently only 15 beds of the Meixoeiro hospital need to be reopened, that there is still room to expand inpatient locations and that this will be done when necessary. One of the main problems is staff shortages, mainly nursing staff. Therefore, one of the measures on the table is to reduce non-priority surgical activities to divert these personnel to caring for respiratory infections. However, in Sergas in Vigo, they assert that it is not yet necessary. At this time, the operating tables were idle as many professionals were on vacation. An average of 63 scheduled flights are carried out each day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, compared with about 140 on a normal weekday, according to official figures.
Galicia is the community most affected by the flu. “The A’s come out of nowhere and what’s worse is it’s ahead, which usually happens in January. In other areas, COVID-19 is on the riseso professionals hope this growth will eventually reach here as well.
Most of the patients are elderly and medically ill, but Dr. Rubianes stressed that they also take in younger patients with some form of immunosuppression, asthma or other underlying conditions who have not yet received the flu vaccine. “They suffered from wild pneumonia and ended up in intensive care units,” the head of the interior ministry said.
In the face of “strong manifestations” of influenza A, he recommended the use of masks and “responsible behavior to avoid unpleasantness,” especially for the elderly and immunosuppressed.He doesn’t have the data, but he guarantees they have it “many” death tollElderly people who have decompensated from influenza.
For healthy young people who are infected and don’t have symptoms of pneumonia (shortness of breath, chest pain, fever and cough with mucus), Chuvi leaders ask them not to go to emergency facilities lest they become overwhelmed. They can provide appropriate services for suspected more serious cases.they recommend They are taking care of themselves at home – breaking the chain of transmission – with comfort measures, plenty of water and paracetamol. Dr. Matt Mazza, director of the emergency department, detailed that medical treatment is only needed if the condition worsens after a few days, if the sputum increases, or if the fever persists.
evidence
People do appear to be taking precautions based on demand at pharmacies, with Cofano, one of the distributors, confirming that sales of a combination of COVID-19 and flu diagnostic tests have quadrupled in the past 15 days. Among the most in demand are those that can differentiate between influenza A and influenza B. In fact, There is a specific shortagethey hope to resolve the issue next week.
In Viéitez López, they also saw an increase in purchases of anti-flu medications, but noted that this was more common during all cold seasons. The need for testing, on the other hand, is more associated with the celebration of the Christmas holiday to find out if there is a risk of contagion. “We have a brutal requirement and many people do it for safety,” they explained.