Flu, COVID and staffing shortages have this Iowa hospital worried
A sudden spike in season flu cases, on top of rising COVID-19 cases, has the University of Iowa hospital urging Iowans to take extra precautions to avoid overstraining the health care system.
Last week, University of Iowa Health Care had more than 150 positive tests for seasonal flu — a figure typically not seen until December, and far more than the single-digit positive flu cases found at the hospital in last year's exceptionally mild flu season. Doctors generally test for flu more aggressively early in the season to gauge its prevalence but don't test every suspicion all season.
The early spread causes concern there will be greater transmission in the community as the cold drives more people indoors, especially with the arriving holidays, UIHC Chief Medical Officer Theresa Brennan said at a Monday news conference.
More: How safe is it to gather for Thanksgiving in Iowa? This map measures COVID-19 risk
"Once it starts to spread, it can be a really big deal, for our workforce for our community in general," she said. "And then if you add into that the fact that we're still in a surge of COVID, that could really impact our community and our health care resources."
Most of the people who tested positive for flu by UIHC were "very symptomatic," and likely would have been tested in non-COVID years, she said, versus diagnosed as merely flu-like. She doubted they were flu cases only found due to extra testing because of COVID-19.
Flu is a top-10 cause of death of a typical year, though COVID-19 killed far more Iowans in the year and a half it's been in the state. Flu can be particularly vicious to the young and old. However, Brennan warned that its biggest consequence this season could be putting a stronger pinch on an already tight health care workforce.
More: Iowa reports first influenza death of the season as experts warn a tough winter could loom
"If influenza is in the community, a certain percentage of our workers will get influenza by being in the community and then they will be out of work," Brennan said. "And although it's not as long as people tend to be up for COVID it is several days ... When that happens, and takes out of play some of our nurses or doctors or therapists or technicians, it can really hamper our ability to take care of patients."
The warning comes as COVID-19 is surging again in the state after a fall uptick. In some places such Dubuque County, the number of active cases are as high as they were during the November 2020 surge.
Brennan said officials at the hospital are "anxiously watching" COVID-19 activity and hoping it doesn't peak as severely as it did last year.
"It's cold now, and people are going to be indoors, and everyone's tired of this," Brennan said. "People are hungry for human contact. And because of that, it's likely people are going to be less strict about gathering, about masking, about distancing than they were last year."
More: COVID's quick Iowa comeback has health experts calling for small Thanksgiving gatherings
Even though people are vaccinated, many Iowans aren't, she said, and boosters were only approved Friday for people more than six months out from completing their first round of shots. As of Monday, about 61% of Iowans had at least one dose of vaccine, and 56% are considered fully vaccinated.
She urged Iowans to get vaccinated, including the booster shots, wear masks when in indoor public spaces, social distance and wash their hands frequently — tips health care experts say are effective mitigations against COVID-19 and the flu. She also encouraged Iowans who are able to take rapid tests before large gatherings.
Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa flu, COVID surge worry hospital amid health care worker shortage
