Officials Worry Flu Season, Coronavirus Pandemic Will Overwhelm Hospitals

With fall flu season upon us, health experts are sounding the alarm about the double threat of coronaviruscoronavirus co·​ro·​na·​vi·​rus : any of a family (Coronaviridae) of single-stranded RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped projections, infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19 and seasonal flu impacting hospitals.

Epidemiologists and public health officials are concerned that if the flu season is bad this year hospitals will be overwhelmed. “If we have a bad flu season and fill up our emergency rooms, our ICU beds and our hospital beds with flu [patients], we’re not going to be able to defend ourselves against the onslaught of the coronavirus,” said John Carlo, a member of the Texas Medical Association COVID-19COVID-19 \ ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn : a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 of the genus Betacoronavirus), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets), and is characterized especially by fever, cough, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure.   task force and past chair of the Texas Public Health Coalition.

More than 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 disease in the past eight months, the largest loss of life in that time period due to a virusvirus vi·​rus | \ ˈvī-rəs : a disease-causing agent that is too tiny to be seen by the ordinary microscope, that may be a living organism or may be a very special kind of protein molecule, and that can only multiply when inside the cell of an organism   in more than 100 years. Health officials don’t know what a person who catches both the flu and coronavirus at the same time would mean. What’s also unknown is whether the coronavirus will ebb and flow as seasons change, although the coronavirus is anticipated to spread at some rate until a vaccine is widely available.

“The worst-case scenario is both (the coronavirus and the flu) are spreading fast and causing severe disease, complicating diagnoses and presenting a double burden on the health care system,” says Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at Harvard University.

Every year millions of individuals become sick with influenzainfluenza in·​flu·​en·​za | \ ˌin-(ˌ)flü-ˈen-zə : an acute, highly contagious, respiratory disease caused by any of three orthomyxoviruses: (1) or influenza A : moderate to severe influenza that in humans is marked especially by sudden onset, fever, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, inflammation of the respiratory mucous membranes, and cough, that has numerous variants caused by subtypes (such as H1N1, H2N2, or H3N2) of an orthomyxovirus (species Influenza A virus of the genus Influenzavirus A) infecting humans and various animals (such as birds or pigs), and that may occur in .... In the 2017-2018 flu season, 61,000 people died from the flu and more than 810,000 people ended up in the hospital. Last year, just over 45% of Americans got vaccinated for the flu.

Public Hygiene, Face Masks Lessen Flu Virus Spread

Some are hopeful that increased personal hygiene practices such as hand washing and the wearing of face masks during the coronavirus pandemicpandemic (pan·​dem·​ic) : an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease. may help keep the worst of the flu season at bay. Both COVID-19 and the flu are transmitted, for the most part, by respiratory droplets, so the same prevention strategies used to reduce the spread of the former also should work for the latter.

The U.S. Surgeon General and CDC Director advocate continuing to wear face masks and maintain social distancingsocial distancing :the avoidance of close contact with other people during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection. to avoid transmission of coronavirus.

Recommendations to Increase Immunity

A balanced diet remains one of the best ways to maintain a healthy immune system and to help prevent chronic diseases. Regular exercise, quality sleep and maintaining a healthy weight are also important to keeping your immune strength up.

The USDA Nutritional Guidelines recommend increasing consumption of vitamin D, potassium, fiber and calciumDietary supplement used to promote bones, muscles, and heart to function properly. Bones in the body do not producer calcium, although it can be taken through foods and vitamins. Calcium in the bloodstream is used to send nerve signals, release hormones like insulin and regulate how muscles and blood vessels contract and dilate. as part of a healthy diet.

Good Medicine Choice supports a variety of all-natural immune support, brain health and weight loss and energy vitamins and dietary supplements, including GMC Liposomal Vitamin C, Vitamin K2+Vitamin D3 with Bioperine, and Good Medicine Choice Doctor-approved Complete Multivitamin. (Shipping is included in all online purchases from the Good Medicine Choice Shop.)

For further details and information please read Good Medicine Choice Network blog articles: “Study: Can Vitamin D Fight COVID-19 Illness?” and “Large doses of Vitamin C may Reduce Body’s Stress Response, Improve-Immunity.”