Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Nasty Flu Spreads, California Reports 74 Dead So Far
Los Angeles Times: Death Toll Jumps Sharply After California Experiences Its Worst Week Of The Flu Season
The death toll from influenza in California rose sharply on Friday, amid a brutal flu season that has spread across the nation. State health officials said that 32 people under 65 died last week of the flu, making it the deadliest week this season so far. In total, 74 people under age 65 have died of the flu since October, compared with 14 at the same time last year. (Karlamangla, 1/19)
San Francisco Chronicle: California Flu Deaths Rise To 74, A Huge Increase Over A Year Earlier
The number of Californians who have died from the flu has risen to 74 as of the second week of January — five times the number seen at this point last year, according to figures released by state health officials Friday. Thirty-two people younger than 65 died from influenza during the second week of January, more than double the 15 deaths from the previous week, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. (Ho, 1/19)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Flu Overwhelming Emergency Rooms In New Orleans
Emergency rooms in hospitals around New Orleans are experiencing an unprecedented volume of patients due in large part to the widespread flu outbreak that has affected most of the country. At one point last week, every single emergency room in the city was at capacity, according to Dr. Prateek 'Raj' Adhikari, the medical director of the Emergency Department at Tulane Medical Center. (Clark, 1/19)
Georgia Health News: Deaths Mount In Georgia As Flu Season Stays Severe
Seven more Georgians have died from the flu, bringing the total to 12 deaths across the state this influenza season, Public Health officials said Friday. There were 40 hospitalizations in metro Atlanta due to influenza infection during the week of Jan. 7 through Jan. 13, the state Department of Public Health said. (Miller, 1/20)
Pioneer Press: Flu Hitting Nursing Facilities In Minnesota, State Reports
The flu bug has bitten Minnesota’s nursing care residents particularly hard this winter, a state health official said. “We’ve seen a record number of outbreaks,” said Kris Ehresmann, director of infectious disease epidemiology, prevention and control for the Minnesota Department of Health, in an interview on Thursday. “Our long-term care facility outbreaks are way up.” The health department’s weekly influenza report, released on Thursday, says 91 flu outbreaks at long-term care facilities have been reported in Minnesota so far this flu season. That includes 36 in the past week and 23 the week before that. (Lundy, 1/20)
Dallas Morning News: MedStar Sees 10-Fold Increase In Flu-Related Ambulance Calls
This year's brutal flu season has meant more ambulance calls for MedStar: Since November, it has seen about a tenfold increase in flu-related ambulance calls. In November, before flu season ramped up, MedStar got an average of 1.8 flu-related calls per day. As of Friday, it had received 19.5 flu-related calls per day in January. (Branham, 1/21)
Marketplace: Using Smart Thermometers To Track Flu ... And Advertise
The United States is experiencing an especially bad flu season this winter. So grab your hand sanitizer, because we're taking on the topic with a look a smart thermometers, like the ones made by KinsaHealth. (Scott and Mills, 1/19)
