RICHMOND, Va. — An unwelcome holiday guest is spreading fast: the flu.
Richmond doctors are monitoring growing numbers, and the Virginia Department of Health shows overall emergency department visits for the flu have gone up nearly 10 percent.
"Right now we are looking at having capacity constraints," explained Dr. Carlton Stadler, regional director for Bon Secours urgent care system in Virginia.
With nearly 30 clinics, he says flu activity is reaching concerning levels.
"We're seeing massive volumes through urgent care," he noted. "We're seeing large volumes through the emergency room."
That’s why he and his team of doctors are encouraging patients who are the most vulnerable—those over the age of 65 or under the age of 5, women who are pregnant or postpartum, those who live in healthcare or hospital settings and those with chronic conditions—to be extra careful right now.
"The difference in flu for those patients is abrupt onset," said Stadler. "The fever is high. It has body aches and significant fatigue that really keeps someone from doing their normal activities, more so than a cold would."
If you’re a healthy individual, Dr. Stadler is encouraging you not to rush to urgent care to find out whether or not you actually have the flu. He says staying home, getting rest and symptom treating are the most effective ways to heal and protect others.
"The treatment is the same," Dr. Stadler explained. "There are 60 to 70 viral illnesses that we're all probably susceptible to at this point in time. People will say, 'Hey, but I want to make sure that I don't go around my uncle. I've got this cough and runny nose.' You know what? It's a virus. You probably shouldn't be around your uncle anyway."
With New Year’s celebrations happening this evening, Dr. Stadler expects flu cases to spike again over the next few days, and even though disease spread is here and it’s high, it’s not too late to get your flu shot.
"You absolutely need to be vaccinated against influenza," he explained. "Getting that vaccination now allows your body the next two weeks to build up some of that immunity, so that when we do go back to school or we are exposed during the holidays, we've got less spread."
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