According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California is reporting very high levels of influenza as respiratory illness continues to surge nationwide.
CDC uses five global levels, ranging from minimal to very high, to measure flu-like illness across the United States and its territories. On Friday, the agency’s color-coded map showed California and 10 other states, with New York City shaded purple, the worst of the three shades of very high flu levels.
Since the beginning of October, the CDC estimates that 78,000 hospitalization for influenza 4,500 people died nationwide.
California Department of Public Health Classify Southern California all have high levels of influenza, while central and northern California are rated moderate. Influenza is responsible for about 4% of weekly hospitalizations at Kaiser’s Northern California facility, the highest in his four flu seasons to date.
Los Angeles County sees spike in flu and COVID-19 cases, RSV — or respiratory syncytial virus — also remains at a high standard.
“this triple time …there are many possibilities that could trigger a cycle of significant disease and strain the healthcare system. It reduces hospital capacity, both in terms of the number of beds available and the number of health care workers affected by the disease. Take care of your patients,” LA County Public Health Director Barbara Feller said at a recent briefing.
Influenza positivity in LA County reached 25%. This is a level not seen at this time in the last four years. “Obviously, we’re… off the charts,” said Ferrer.
“We are already seeing many people hospitalized with flu-related illnesses and complications. Please don’t just think of this as ‘just the flu.’it’s never too late Get a seasonal flu vaccination,” she added.
California has recorded at least 36 flu-related deaths since the beginning of October, based on death certificate data. That number is probably an underestimate.
of RSV positive rate About 15%, higher than any other year in the past four years for colds and flu from October to September.
There are some indications that RSV activity peaked in early November in LA County and may have begun to decline. By late October, the positivity rate exceeded 20%, according to county data. But the 15% infection rate could simply be the result of more people being tested for the virus, Ferrer said.
“Current positivity rates, although declining, are still higher than the highest positivity rates seen in the last five seasons,” Ferrer said. “So there are still a surprising number of people Test positive for RSV”
At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the RSV positivity rate is 23%. That’s a significant drop from November 1, when it was 38%. However, the latest numbers are still quite high, about the same as last winter’s overall peak of 24%. The CHLA emergency room is very busy and cannot always accommodate patient transfers from other hospitals.
The CHLA flu positivity rate is 19%. Before Thanksgiving he was 12%.
Orange County’s RSV situation remains the same as it was the week before, the health department declared a public health emergency over RSV and other viral diseases that are stressing children’s hospitals. did.
Rising coronavirus-positive hospitalizations are exacerbating the RSV situation, officials said, as an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations means fewer hospital beds are available.
About 2.2% of hospital admissions at Kaiser’s Northern California hospitals are associated with RSV, down from 2.3% last week, according to the latest available data. These rates are higher than in the last five seasons of colds and flu.
at least 14 times RSV-related death, since the beginning of October, according to California death certificate data. The numbers are probably underestimated.
“Given the high activity levels of RSV, caution is warranted,” said Ferrer. “RSV often affects young children most severely, causing bronchiolitis. [inflammation of the airways] and pneumonia. It is important to take precautions to prevent respiratory illness. This includes washing your hands frequently and, especially in the case of his RSV, wiping down frequently touched surfaces. ”
In addition to wearing a mask, health experts say one of the easiest ways to reduce your risk of contracting the flu and other viral illnesses is to avoid touching your face.
The CDC notes that humans can become infected. influenza When RSV Touch a contaminated surface, where some viruses can survive for several days, and then touch your face.
“I want to stress again: avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth,” Dr. Ralph Gonzalez, associate dean of the University of California, San Francisco, recently said at the campus town hall. . “Very good research shows that if we can double down on our vigilance efforts about this, we’re more likely not to catch the flu.”
Still, this simple-sounding advice may be easier said than done.Touching your face can be spontaneous or even an unconscious act Some studies have shown that it may help or be associated with coping with anxiety and discomfort negative or unsatisfactory feelings.
And it happens a lot. A 2015 study caught medical students in a class Touch your face 23 times in an hour on average.
Here are some tips on how to train yourself not to touch your face.
- Be careful when touching your face and catch yourself when and preferably before.
- If you notice before touching your face, consider folding your hands or doing something else.
- itch? Try ignoring it. If that bothers you, wash your hands, then scratch, then wash your hands again. Alternatively, buy a sterile wooden tongue depressor to use as a tool to scratch the itch.
Regular handwashing is also an important step in stopping the spread of the virus, officials said. If soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer can be used as an alternative.
