NORTH CAROLINA, USA — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released data Wednesday on flu, RSV and COVID cases.
Five more flu-related deaths were reported in North Carolina last week, bringing the season total to 14. Ten of those are people 65 and older.
The rise in flu deaths comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says flu vaccine uptake is the lowest in the last five years.
Data from the CDC website shows flu vaccination rates trailing behind last year's in adults 18 and older.
The number of people hospitalized with the flu in the state is up 56% week-over-week, 192 last week compared to 300 this week.
The rate of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is also up by 14%.
Even though December through February is considered peak flu season, health experts recommend that you still get your shot.
Significant cases of the flu can pop up as late as May.
Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital is expecting to be full by Christmas because of how many sick kids they are already seeing. Most of the patients are kids with RSV. Some of them are kids who are being brought in from rural areas.
“For us, it might be just a cold, runny nose things like that. But with kids, they can get sicker,” said Morgan Hunt, a nurse manager at the hospital. “They can need oxygen, they can need more pressure into their lungs to be able to breathe. They can get dehydrated because they are trying so hard to breathe.
Gaston Christian School in Gastonia is feeling the impact. The school is calling off classes for its middle school through the end of the semester because of an outbreak of flu and strep cases. Across the Charlotte area, preschools and daycare centers are also seeing the viruses make their way into their classrooms.
Emma Biggs, the director at Pathway Preschool Center in Charlotte, says they had to call 9-1-1 for the fourth time in the last month.
“Anytime a child has a fever of 105 or higher or starts having breathing difficulties, we automatically call the paramedics to come and treat them,” said Biggs.
She adds they are taking extra measures to protect kids.
“We always sanitize our toys, our classrooms, our surroundings, our sinks,” said Biggs. “We [now have] more times that children wash their hands than what's required, a lot deeper cleaning than what's required.”
The center is asking parents to do the right thing. If your child is not feeling well, keep them home to stop the spread. Otherwise, it leads to a domino effect that impacts the entire center.
“It causes other children to get sick, and it also causes our staff to get sick,” said Biggs. “When that happens, if too many staff are out sick like they were earlier this week, then that can play a factor in parents having to stay at home with their children because there's no one there to provide care."
Health experts say these viruses are very contagious and the best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated. You also want to wash your hands more often and keep them out of your mouth, nose, and eyes.
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