MORNING SHOW
Published:December 13, 2023, 8:39 AM
Every year, a new flu shot is created based on different factors, like which types of the virus are expected to be the most common. But, that could change in the future.
Niagara Health hospitals continue to see increased levels of COVID-19, RSV and influenza
NEWS RELEASE NIAGARA REGION PUBLIC HEALTH ***************************** With the holiday season fast approaching, Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health are encouraging everyone to get the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to protect themselves from serious illness.
Cases of COVID-19 and Influenza are high across Ontario, Niagara included, and infections are expected to peak during the holiday season. As it can take up to two weeks for vaccines to provide protection against the viruses, now is the time to get the shots.
While anyone can get really sick from viruses like COVID-19, the flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), we know there are vulnerable people in our community, such as children, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, who are more at risk, said Niagara Region Public Healths Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Azim Kasmani.
Niagara Health hospitals continue to see increased levels of COVID-19, RSV and influenza, said Dr. Karim Ali, Niagara Healths Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control.
It is imperative that those who qualify, update their vaccines to help prevent the spread of these viruses, he said. COVID and influenza vaccines can prevent serious illness in high-risk individuals.
Ali said ICU (intensive care unit) admissions for COVID-19 have remained stable, a fact he attributes to immunity from vaccines and previous infection. Thats another reason vaccination is so important, he said.
We have seen first-hand that vaccinations are effective in reducing the seriousness of these viruses in most people, leading to fewer hospitalizations, he said.
This years flu strain is quite severe, he said, noting there have already been two young adult patients admitted to the ICU due to complications related to influenza infections.
Currently pharmacies and health care providers are offering flu and COVID-19 vaccines, while Niagara Region Public Health is offering COVID-19 vaccines. The RSV vaccine is currently approved for adults aged 60 years and older, and more information on eligibility and how to get the vaccine is available on the Ministry of Healths website.
COVID-19 vaccines may be given at the same time as, or any time before or after, the flu shot. Everyone six months of age and older is recommended to get the XBB COVID-19 vaccine as long as it has been six months since they were last vaccinated or infected with COVID-19.
Along with getting vaccinated, everyone is encouraged to use "layers of protection to help lower the risk of getting and spreading infection. These layers include: Staying home if you're sick Cleaning your hands often Spending time outdoors or in well-ventilated indoor spaces Practicing respiratory etiquette by covering coughs and sneezes Wearing a mask
By using layers of protection, we not only help protect ourselves, but also those at risk of a severe outcomes, such as hospitalization or even death, from getting infected, Kasmani said.
Ali added that Niagara Health has infection prevention and control measures in place at its sites and has started its annual flu vaccine campaign for high-risk patients and staff and physicians.
More information about vaccines, and where to get them, can be found on the Public Health website.
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Published 10:20 am Tuesday, December 12, 2023
There have always been good reasons to get a flu shot for most people. But with COVID cases on the rise in our area the last thing you want to come down with is with both the seasonal flu and Coronavirus. The flu seasons run from October to March. The medical system is already stressed. It doesnt need more burdens from the flu season. Thankfully, there is a vaccine for the flu. It wont work for everyone but it is likely to reduce the symptoms if you do contact the virus. Health experts say it is not too late to get your flu shot. Here are the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control for flu shots: CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. While there are many different flu viruses, a flu vaccine protects against the viruses that research suggests will be most common. Flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses, doctors visits and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every year before flu activity begins in their community. Health experts also recommend getting vaccinated early this year. Vaccination of high-risk persons is especially important to decrease their risk of severe flu illness. People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children; pregnant women; people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease; and people 65 years and older. Vaccination also is important for health care workers and other people who live with or care for high-risk people to keep from spreading flu to them. Children younger than 6 months are at high risk of serious flu illness, but are too young to be vaccinated. People who care for infants should be vaccinated instead. Both for those who have and those who have not gotten the flu vaccine this season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these recommendations to reduce your chances of getting sick and to manage your sickness if you do: Try to avoid close contact with sick people. While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. If you are sick with a flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way. Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs such as the flu. It should also be remembered that the hospital emergency room is not the first line of defense for battling the flu. A visit to a primary health care physician or after-hours clinic may be necessary if symptoms warrant but the emergency room should be reserved for emergencies. Although vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu vaccines have a good safety record. Hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received flu vaccines over the past 50 years. Extensive research supports the safety of seasonal flu vaccines. Most of us would rather take our chance with a flu vaccine rather than getting the flu.
While influenza viruses (flu virus) spread year-round, most flu activity peaks between December and February.
The flu vaccine is your best bet for avoiding getting and/or spreading influenza this winter. This year's seasonal flu vaccines each provide protection against four of the most common flu viruses.
The flu vaccine can be found at many local hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies.
To find a location near you, please visit https://www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.
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UPMC will begin requiring all employees, patients and visitors to wear face masks beginning Dec. 20, which is next Wednesday.
UPMC is seeing an increase in cases of respiratory viruses, including COVID, influenza and RSV, UPMC said Thursday in a written statement.
The requirement applies to all UPMC facilities including hospitals, outpatient facilities and medical offices.
It puts UPMC among a growing number of health systems that have announced masking requirements since the start of fall, when flu and other respiratory illnesses become more prevalent.
As of late November, at least 28 health systems around the country had announced mask requirements, according to Beckers Hospital Review, which covers the healthcare industry. They included Reading Hospital and Mount Nittany Medical Center in Pennsylvania, and the nationally prominent Cleveland Clinic.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems imposed far-ranging masking requirements, keeping them in place until this past May, when the federal COVID-19 emergency ended.
Many, including UPMC, continued to require masks in areas and facilities that care for people who had weakened immune systems or were otherwise highly vulnerable to infections.
In early fall, PennLive contacted central Pennsylvania healthcare systems regarding the possibility of future universal masking requirements, with most saying they were tracking the level of illnesses and would make future masking decisions based on that.
Pennsylvania is presently seeing a steep climb in RVS cases, with flu cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations also on the rise, according to the latest tracking by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Contrary to widespread belief, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesnt impose national mask mandates. Rather, it makes recommendations, and is presently telling hospitals to consider masking requirements when local spread of respiratory infections becomes high. Federal facilities are required to follow CDC recommendations.
The Covid-19 inquirys evidence sessions are draining my faith in its value. We were promised a thorough review, shedding light on how the government made key decisions that affected our health, freedoms and economy. At its best, this rigorous evidence collection would be buttressed by examining the outcomes, then derive transferable lessons for better decision making in future civil emergencies. Instead, sessions are getting bogged down in tedious procedural detail and wrangling over text messages and responsibilities.
This week, Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, was questioned following earlier evidence that Angela McLean, now the UKs chief scientist, had called him Dr Death for prioritising the economy over saving lives. Under interrogation, Sunak at one point cited a controversial June 2020 study from Imperial and Manchester
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday and as Kansas Citians gear up for December holidays, data show the area is navigating an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
On Monday, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at the University of Kansas Health System, said the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized increased from 19 last week to 33 in the current week.
Hawkinson said family and social gatherings associated with the Thanksgiving holiday could be related to the uptick in hospitalizations.
He also pointed out that although the newest COVID vaccines are effective against new variants, the percentage of the U.S. population who has taken the updated vaccine is below 20 percent.
LINK | Federal government providing free COVID-19 test kits
LINK | Federal government vaccine finder
Data updated Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties in Kansas in the "yellow" category in the rate of hospital admissions. The remainder of the Kansas City area remains in the "green category."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevenion
The most recent update of data in the Missouri Sewershed Project, which monitors viral loads in wastewater treatment plants across the state, shows an increase at facilities across the entire state, including several in the KSHB 41 viewing area.
KSHB
The Kingston General Hospital says a surge of emergency department inpatients, including a day that had a near record 580 admissions, has the hospital struggling to keep up as the respiratory virus season peaks across the province.
A thread of social media posts by the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), which operates the general hospital, said they are 'bursting at the seams' with the increase in ER admissions and are beginning to open 'non-traditional spaces' to deal with the influx.
"We continue to see patients with COVID-19 as infection rates hold steady across our region. Were averaging about 15-20 COVID inpatients per-day, some in the ICU. Meanwhile, weve now hit peak RSV season and flu cases are beginning to rise in the area," KHSC said on X.
"Meanwhile, our Emergency Department (ED) is also seeing high volumes of patients. Despite our best efforts, some patients are seeing longer wait times in the ED for less urgent issues. We know it is frustrating, but we have to treat the sickest people first."
An emailed statement by KHSC says wait times for an initial assessment remain around average at 3.1 hours, but recognize that patients with less urgent conditions and needs are experiencing longer wait times.
Jason Hann, the vice president of patient care and the chief nurse for KHSC told CTV Morning Live on Wednesday that they are putting 'surge plans' in place.
"We're anticipating for about a 120 per cent occupancy rate across the Kingston Health Science Centre and that's for both our pediatric and our adult population," Hann said.
A large gym at the General Hospital is being prepared as an impatient unit in case the hospital would need to transfer people from the emergency department during the holidays.
The centre said this is occurring amid a worldwide shortage of healthcare workers and the hospital is often short-staffed. They are working to recruit more staff and are making progress, but qualified individuals are "hard to find."
"A number of the patients we are admitting each day are children. We are adjusting many of our inpatient areas to make more room for the rising numbers of pediatric patients who are coming to us for help both from our region, and from other areas in the province," KHSC's statement on X said.
The centre is reminding people in the community to get vaccinated, wear a mask and stay home if you don't feel well.
"We all hate to miss those special holiday events when were under the weather, but staying home in your PJs isnt nearly as bad as sharing a virus with a vulnerable family member or friend," the centre said.
Meanwhile, health officials across the province are warning that an increase in COVID-19 and respiratory infections are causing higher than average wait times across the country.
The Monfort Hospital in the east-end of Ottawa reported wait times of up to 20 hours for a full assessment by a physician (it does not state the wait for an initial assessment).
The Ottawa Hospital and the Queensway-Carleton Hospital also said they are experiencing higher than average patient volumes.
The Kingston General Hospital does not list current wait times online. The latest statistics by Health Quality Ontario, which monitored wait times from across the province in October, found that patients waited an average of 3.1 hours to get an initial assessment by a physician.
Patients are triaged upon arrival and then given an initial visit with a doctor before receiving a full assessment.
The provincial average wait time for an initial assessment was 2.1 hours in October.
With files from CTV Morning Live Ottawa
