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Health officials urge precautions as flu cases rise
Across the country, flu cases are climbing - including Southeast Michigan. Doctors are urging people to wear masks and get vaccinated to prevent spreading viruses.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The fall and winter has always been a concern for health officials who feared a tripledemic. Now it's coming true as flu cases are spiking.
Influenza cases are on the rise across the country and Southeast Michigan.
"This idea of a tripledemic - so the flu RSV, Covid - all at the same time and this year now we’re having it," said Beaumont Dr. Michael Sims. "So at this point, there’s a large number and still going up."
In the last week of November, Beaumont-Corewell Health East says, systemwide, they treated 344 total flu cases. A majority - 301 - were emergency cases. More than half - 179 - were pediatric cases.
By the second week of December, the numbers skyrocketed to 760 total cases, 681 were emergency and 398 were pediatric cases.
The impact is being felt in the emergency room.
"We’re handling it but it's making the emergency rooms busy. We tend to be operating at near or at capacity," Dr. Sims said.
As flu cases rise, RSV cases are trending downward but Corewell also continues to treat a steady number of Covid patients.
"Covid is holding about the same where we’ve had 200 to 300 cases a week admitted throughout this system and it’s about 400 cases a week, including the emergency room," Dr. Sims said. "We are seeing cases of Covid in other parts of the country and in parts of Michigan going up and may not have hit us yet."
As the holidays draw close, Medical professionals are advising people to take precautions by wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.