Influenza season may have arrived early, says health expert
With the recent change in weather health professionals are concerned about the upcoming flu season.
“It's probably here already,” said Erika Vitale, infection prevention and control manager at Windsor Regional Hospital, adding a patient has already been admitted to hospital which suggests influenza could already be spreading in the community.
“That is about two months earlier than I would typically see a patient hospitalized for flu so it kinda does reflect what we had heard about the Australian flu season,” she said.
Australia experienced one of its worst flu season in history this past summer which began earlier than usual. Vitale says the peak down under during flu season is typically August to September.
“Our peak is typically January to February so for two months earlier I think October to November we could expect to see a number of influenza cases,” Vitale said.
Plus, COVID-19 is still in the community as noticed by local pharmacists like the owner of Rob’s Whole Health Pharmacy in LaSalle.
Rob Modestino says he is receiving calls from COVID-positive residents asking for delivery of cough medicine.
“Just people in general calling us up saying they're positive. People who have had to delay their booster vaccines because they've been positive in the last week or two,” said Modestino.
Health unit staff confirm the increase in recent cases.
“Our waste water for the first time in a couple of weeks, or in a few weeks actually, has shown an increase as well and we'll continue to monitor that trend,” Ramsey D’Souza, Windsor Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) epidemiology manager, said.
As of noon Wednesday, Windsor Regional Hospital is reporting 35 patients with COVID-19 but none of them are in the ICU.
With limited exposure to influenza during the pandemic, Vitale encourages people to get vaccinated when doses become available in October.
“If you fit into high risk categories like if you're over the age of 65, if you’re pregnant, Indigenous, if you have a chronic health care condition like COPD or diabetes and if you live or work in a high risk setting you should get the flu shot as soon as it’s available for you,” she said.
Modestino encourages residents to take precautions like wash your hands and stay at home if you’re sick.
“We need to get back to normal but we need to keep an eye on things,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.