TULSA, Okla. — From schools across the state having to go virtual to an increase in hospitalizations, it's no secret that this flu season has been brutal.
As of Feb. 8th, more than 35% of the state had tested positive for Influenza, with Influenza A being the more common strain. That's according to the state health department.
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“All of our care sites are experiencing unprecedented volumes," said Mary Johnson, Executive Director of Trauma Services at St. Francis. "In the emergency department here, we have a daily volume that is 22% higher than last February, our average daily volume, so that speaks to what we're seeing."
On average each day, Johnson said St. Francis is seeing about 130 ambulance arrivals each day - all related to the flu.
While there isn't one specific reason for this year's surge, the research Johnson has found has left her with two possible conclusions.
The first, being that the pandemic disrupted regular flu season, so now that we're out of that time period the flu is back in full force. The second, this year's vaccine may not have covered the strain that everyone is getting.
The health department shows that at the end of the week of February 1, approximately 6,248 Oklahoman's tested positive for the flu. The following week, that dropped to about 5,248.
With that data starting to trend down, 2 News Oklahoma's Stef Manchen did ask Johnson if she thought we were starting to turn the corner.
“It’s possibly a little premature to conclude that," she said. "We want to stay vigilant and that’s why we have daily huddles where we review the numbers and the data from the day before and talk about what direction it seems to be headed.”
In addition to daily huddles, St. Francis is creating float pools to be ready for anything. This means that nurses who are assigned to a float pool have the skills and education to cover different areas across the hospital as needed during heightened-volume situations.
Although it's busy, that doesn't mean those who need to visit a hospital or urgent care should stay home.
“The emergency departments are designed to accommodate for surges and increases in capacity, you have to be prepared at all times," said Johnson. "We will do everything we can and have capacity to treat everyone who comes in... that's how we work."
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