Hospital Erects Second Tent For Flu Patients: ‘We Are Pulling Out All Of The Stops’ This Year
Patients have been flooding hospitals across the state and country this year as a particularly vicious strain of the flu hits Americans hard.
Fresno Bee:
Visalia Hospital Puts Up Second Tent For Flu Patients
Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia is seeing so many patients with the flu that it has had to erect a second tent outside its emergency department to handle the surge in patients. “We are pulling out all of the stops and doing everything under the sun to take care of patients during this very challenging flu season,” said Gary Herbst, chief executive officer of Kaweah Delta Health Care District. “We’ve actually never had two tents up at the same time.” Kaweah Delta erected a tent on Nov. 22, to expand the size of its waiting area and accommodate an increase in patient visits this extreme flu season, and to accommodate an increase in patients from the recent closure of Tulare Regional Medical Center. (Anderson, 2/7)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Flu Update: 25 New Deaths Announced As Case Rate Increases
Even though it looks like it may have peaked in late December, San Diego’s flu season showed Wednesday that it has staying power. And health officials are keeping a watchful eye should there be a flareup. For the first time in a month, the number of new flu cases reported across San Diego County increased, reaching 835 with an additional 25 flu-related deaths announced, including a 38-year-old man from coastal North County who was unvaccinated but had other underlying medical conditions. (Sisson, 2/7)
The New York Times:
How To Know When A Child’s Flu Turns Serious
The standard prescription for flu is to stay home and rest, drink plenty of fluids, and keep pain and fever under control with over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen. But this flu season has been a particularly scary one for parents. At least 53 children across the country have died from flu-related illness, and parents need to know how to tell if a child takes a turn for the worse — and if it’s time to rush to the hospital. (Rabin, 2/7)