Officials warn that too severe a flu season could overrun the state’s hospitals just recovering from stresses from COVID-19.
“The overlap of COVID-19 and flu season presents a perfect storm – and we aren’t taking any chances,” Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday. “We are approaching this fall with a proactive mindset and plan of action to limit the impact of the flu and preserve hospital resources."
Arizona’s flu season typically runs October to March, peaking in February.
In a Monday news conference, Ducey said the state would be expanding flu shot access to Arizonans on Medicaid and working with the private sector to expand availability. That includes making flu shots available at COVID-19 test sites.
“When you stop by certain sites, you’ll be able to get a flu shot as well,” Ducey said.
He said many of the prevention techniques used to prevent COVID-19 are also effective at flu prevention, such as handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes.
Should the state see a surge in influenza hospitalizations, many of the fears at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic would again become an issue.
“There’s a potential that our health care system could be overwhelmed,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director for the Arizona Department of Health Services.
At its peak, last season’s influenza accounted for 10 percent of hospitalizations, Christ said.
Arizonans aren’t entirely receptive to getting their flu vaccinations. Like many other sunbelt states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 45.6 percent of the state’s residents got the flu shot during the 2018-2019 flu season. That is the highest the CDC has measured in Arizona since 2010.
The 2019-2020 flu season proved particularly severe in Arizona and the western United States. Many thought they’d been infected with COVID-19 well before the first case in Washington state had been documented. The Arizona Department of Health reports 36,454 cases of influenza in the last season, up from 35,610 in the year prior and a significant increase from the 2017 season that saw 13,086 cases.
The state’s flu numbers were high, in part, because of the strain that had hit the state. Maricopa County health officials told Arizona’s Family that Influenza B was particularly prevalent last season, something uncommon to Arizona.
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September 01, 2020 at 08:00PM
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Arizona leaders warn of potentially severe flu season - Washington Examiner
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