WELLINGTON COUNTY – As feared, more patients are visiting hospital emergency departments and being admitted with influenza.
The dashboard on Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health’s website shows a jump in cases of influenza before Christmas. That corresponds with a jump in hospitalizations after Christmas.
If you didn’t get an influenza shot in the fall, it’s not too late, says Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH).
And with February vacations and March break still to come, it’s word to the wise.
Airports are great places to pick up illness, she said.
“It’s not unexpected to have a flu spike in the fall,” Mercer said, adding as school resumes and people go inside, germs tend to spread.
“We see this every year. But this year is worse.”
Part of the problem is the influenza vaccine, developed based on 2024 data, is not a match for the strain that is actually circulating this year.
“This year the H3N2 strain is different from the vaccine so we’re seeing a bigger jump in cases,” Mercer said. “In general, things don’t move that quickly. This season the new strain came up quite quickly.
“But fewer people are getting vaccinated,” for influenza, and that’s the other part of the equation, she said, adding vaccination has been declining year over year since the COVID-19 pandemic ended.
Like COVID though, the number of influenza cases is now impacting hospitals – a service no one wants to need but one everyone hopes will be there if they or a loved one needs it.
Matt Smith, vice president of quality, clinical services and chief nursing executive for Wellington Health Care Alliance, said Groves hospital, the Palmerston hospital and Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest are seeing increased volumes of patients related to influenza.
“This is contributing to higher emergency department visits and, in some cases, increased admissions,” he said in an email.
“While our teams are continuing to manage patient care safely and effectively, these pressures can lead to longer wait times in the emergency department and increased strain on inpatient beds.”
Smith urged patients to be careful where they go for treatment to ease pressures on hospitals.
“We also continue to ask the public to use the health system wisely – seeking care in the emergency department for urgent or life-threatening situations, and considering primary care providers, walk-in clinics, or virtual care options when appropriate.”
Smith said preventative measures, like the influenza vaccine, are really important, not just for individuals most at risk, like seniors and very young children, but for the system as a whole.
Mercer echoed those sentiments.
“Behaviour impacts the system,” she said. “Getting flu shots impacts the hospital. Broadly speaking, do it for your own health but do it for the broader health care system.”
Mercer said there has been a case of influenza B in the region and she worries there could be a second wave of this strain in the coming weeks.
The vaccine will guard against this as well, she said. Even though it’s not a perfect match, the vaccine will lessen symptoms and that will keep people out of hospital.
She said making vaccinations part of your health habit is as important as an annual visit to a dentist or an annual physical exam.
The influenza vaccine is available by appointment at public health. Local doctors also administer the shot, as do many pharmacies.
Smith urged patients to check with the Guelph-Wellington Ontario Health Team about alternate levels of care.
