Do this to protect from California’s triple threat of wildfires, COVID-19 and flu season
The coronavirus pandemic and poor air quality from wildfires burning all over the state have burdened Fresno’s delicate healthcare system. Now, Fresno’s public health officials are urging residents to get their flu shots to prevent additional strain on the system.
Health care networks are starting to receive their first shipments of flu vaccines, which should be available to patients in the coming weeks, said Fresno County’s Interim Health Officer, Dr. Rais Vohra. Pharmacies such as Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens all already carry flu shots.
Getting the shot will help prevent the spread of other respiratory viruses while Fresno County battles the prolific spread of COVID-19.
“We’re going to recommend that everyone get their flu vaccine this year,” Vohra said. “There’s really no excuse not to because this is something that is something else that we can do to really minimize the harm that you might experience due to the wintertime, respiratory virus season.”
Adding additional stress on emergency rooms and other health providers are patients seeking treatment due to the ghastly air quality from California’s wildfires. A thick curtain of smoke settled over the San Joaquin Valley and rest of the state this week as firefighters battle dozens of fires. Emergency room visits typically spike during bad air and wildfire season, health officials said.
This winter’s flu season will look a little different too, Vohra said. Primary care and emergency room physicians will check patients with respiratory illnesses for both influenza and coronavirus. Fresno County Public Health Department officials are encouraging primary care doctors to have both flu and COVID-19 tests on hand.
Many years during the winter, hospitals throughout the central San Joaquin Valley erect tents in their parking lots to serve as an overflow waiting room as patients with flu symptoms flood in. Hospitals did the same thing here in early March, this time preparing for coronavirus patients.
While COVID-19 hospitalizations in Fresno have slightly dipped in recent weeks, they still remain too high, and an influx in flu patients would make things worse, Vohra said.
“I think this year we really need all the protection that we can get,” he said. “I think that it’s not too early for people to start thinking about it. Certainly, in September, it’ll be much more important for everyone to be caught up. But if you wait until October November, it’s too late.”