SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns feeling the pain of what's already been a busy flu season may have trouble getting relief as local health professionals share how hard it's been to meet the demand.
“End of December, we really started seeing a pickup in people coming in with respiratory infections like flu, cold, all of that fun stuff that we hate about that time of year,” shared pharmacist Spencer Simister with Jolley's Pharmacy
For Jolley's and other pharmacies, stocking up on medicine behind the counter can be a struggle.
“We try to keep [flu medications] in stock," Simister explained. "We like to have that available for them but we’ve been definitely seeing an uptick of people coming in needing that to help them through the season.”
Substitute teacher Lola Jones knows the effect the flu can have on the classroom.
“I’ve seen a lot of kids sick, a lot of kids out of school," she said. "Seen a lot of teachers sick, so as a substitute teacher that’s where I’ve been able to step in and help.”
Stepping in to help, Jones says, is easier when people take the proper precautions.
"I think a lot of parents want to send their kids to school so they don’t miss, but it seems to make it worse because the cases are spreading around the school, so if you or your child is sick, you need to go home," Jones implored.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services tracks respiratory illnesses each week.
“The past few weeks, we have seen an increase in flu activity, so this means an increase in flu-associated hospitalizations and influenza-like illness," said Pamela Gomez an Influenza Epidemiologist with the department.
Utah's Respiratory Disease Surveillance overview website appears to show a peak in visits to emergency rooms for the flu over the New Year's holiday, with just over 9% of ER visits for people with flu-like symptoms, the highest recorded percentage of all data going back to 2019.
Gomez says getting a vaccine can decrease the risk of getting the flu. Some who have already sat down for their flu shot believe it’s just one more step in keeping the community healthy.
“I take those precautions just so that I can be healthy for those around me who are higher risk,” explained Camille Flint.
