Due to the increase in flu visit across the U.S., hospitals have been forced find new space to house patients, to restrict visitors, and to postpone elective surgeries. Over the past several weeks, visits to hospital emergency departments, urgent care centers and other outpatient clinics by people with flu symptoms have been skyrocketing. According to The Wall Street Journal, as of mid-January, such visits had surpassed every flu season except 2009-10, when a new flu strain caused a global pandemic. This season, the dominant strain is particularly virulent. The vaccine has not shown to be very effective against the strain. To cope with the greater traffic to the emergency department, hospitals are opening up “flex spaces” that aren’t usually needed for routine care. Patients with flu symptoms are put in a separate room and told to wear masks in New York. If admitted, they are given a room with a single bed if possible. The emergency department at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta is caring for up to 25% more patients than it did at this time last year, so they set up a temporary mobile medical unit on its campus.
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