GASTONIA, N.C. — Gaston County leaders are bracing for the possibility of a "twindemic" this winter, which would mean a spike in COVID-19 cases while flu numbers rise.
Gaston County's manager, Dr. Kim Eagle, and public health director, Steve Eaton, spent part of their Friday morning getting a flu vaccine to emphasize the vaccine's importance in preventing a bad flu season.
Eaton said new numbers from the Southern hemisphere, which is six months ahead of the United States, show COVID-19 prevention methods, like wearing face masks, washing hands and maintaining social distancing, are also preventing the flu.
"They're coming to the end of their flu season, and what they saw is a dramatic decrease, dramatic decrease, in the spread of flu," Eaton emphasized. "People were practicing those 3 W's, and so the outcomes were more positive and more favorable in those countries."
Eaton and county manager Dr. Kim Eagle also held the county's first COVID-19-Flu task force that morning.
Dr. Eagle said it's made up of health experts, business leaders, and members of the faith community who will discuss options to prevent a spike in either virus.
She said a "twindemic" would create capacity concerns in multiple areas.
"There's capacity concerning the hospital and our medical facilities. There's capacity concerning supplies," Eagle said. "We had [a] conversation about not just PPE, but the flu vaccine, and then capacity around how we meet the public in the community."
The task force planned to meet again next week. More information on Gaston County's COVID-19 numbers and prevention efforts can be found here.
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