Scott Flung Show on seven hundred w LW. Yeah, we got the cold, we got the ice, we've got the storm. Everything hopefully is behind us at this point. We'll see where we move from here. I do know this though, with everyone stuck inside, we're starting to see an increase the number of people presenting in emergency rooms and the like who are sick. Ohio's experience a high intensity flu
outbreak right now. Also RSV respiratory virus season. This year, things have kind of stipled a little bit that way, but we're going to get a big surge again, I guess in February, so literally in a few days here. It is influenza AA super flu strain that is out there right now and right now even hospitalizations are nearly double what we saw at this time last year and about to get worse. Doctor Stephen Fagin's is the medical director for Hamlin. Connie Stephen, Welcome, Harry, doctor.
Thanks got good morning, happy cold cold morning.
Yeah no kidding, right, I mean that's the other element here too, with these sub zero temperatures.
You know, what do you guys?
You know at the Hemlin on the Health Department, most people had the last couple of days off anyways because of the ice and the snow and all that stuff. But what do you that deal with when we had a weather emergency like that.
It is so cold just a few minutes outside, especially doing things like shoveling snow, which can be the most dangerous thing you do for your part and for other things, and always takes a few breakstes of the time and things like that. But so far, not a lot of hypothermia, thankfully, people have been inside. But the big issue is people can't leave the hospital. Yeah you got you gotta get them out.
Right, and we're all stuck inside now, which also further complicates the issue of cold and flu on rs V.
Right, it can, it can, And certainly, you know those people that you're stuck in, you've been around for a while,
so they're not new people giving you stuff. But you know, you talk about the influenza, which really really skyrocketed sort of like in sort of early February, and because of the new trains actually coming down here in southwest Ohio and starting around the state, and so we peaked, you know, right at sort of Christmas or this Christmas holiday, probably three and a half times the peak that we've seen before.
We're still above. We're still above the highest people. We we came down very quickly, and that's kind of what you'll see for something that a community is not accustomed to. Thankfully, the two mutations occurred on the part that makes it infectious rather than part that makes it, you know, virulent, are really bad. So the deaths and things like that not not as much, but it is coming down. In my own hostile I there were tons of flu, now now not so much.
Are we going to accord that the what I said was from the CDC about we're expecting it to trend back upwards next month literally another week or so. Are we going to say that here in Ohio, south in Kentucky.
That's the big question I on board would like to know. And you know you've seen one flute seven, you've seen one flu season. I do think we'll see a double second peak. You know, this is one strain of one strain, and so there are other strains of flu, there are other strains of restless stuff. So I do think in February we'll see some kind of increase. I don't think it'd be anywhere near what we saw in early January.
Oh, well, that's good news. The other element here too. People hear this and go, okay, well it's a super flu strain. It's dominant virus. I know people that are getting sick and a like. Is it too late to get a flu shot?
It was not too late to get a flu shot, especially since the probably next peak that we see will be exactly what the flu's four, so a good match and so no, it is absolutely not too late. It does take a week or two for it to have an effect, so you want to get it sooner than later. But we'll keep saying in a flu shot until the end of the flu season.
Yeah.
Ever, Steven Stector Figan's if you got a shot in I don't know, September October, the conventional I don't know if it's wisdom or just a livesteale, is that, Hey, that's only good for ninety days. You might have to get another one. Does the antibody stay in your body? Do you need a flu shot if you had it in September October?
Yeh, that's a great question. You know, they do decrease and that's why you get it every year last maybe six months at most four months probably average some people like to wait until they kind of know the flu is really really coming out there, but it's still there. There is no recommendation for a second flu shot like a second boose or anything. In fact, they dons of studies and it really didn't make a difference.
Yeah, for the season itself only six months, and that that shot should.
Last year is what you're saying they should.
Yeah, And if it doesn't, it's because well, we you know, it's a guessing game, you guys. You know they're working in the other half there, they're working on what they think is going to be the strain, and sometimes you do miss that. But it does protect you in a sense that your antibodies are up in your own body that you produce to protect you. So even if you get the flu. Can imagine this's happened to me last year.
I always get the flu shot, and I got it last year, but it was only a couple of days. Hit me pretty hard, and I thought, well, thank god I had the flu shot, because it'd be much much worse if I didn't. I still got it, but it wasn't as bad as it could have.
Been, exactly five days of badness. There's also influence of medication. It still works in too, thankfully the mutations has not really changed that. So but you got to take it within the first day or two of the symptom. You know, they started very suddenly for it to work, and really it really does. It just stops it from replicating, so it goes away faster when you take the medication.
Yeah, you still got to get a script for that too.
It seems like that's something like an epipenny before you like, by the time I get to my doctor, they call the script and it's uh, it's already advanced.
Yeah, it's interesting, you know, making that over the counter. It is an anti viral. Sometimes there are certain nursing homes if there's an outbreak, then they give it one today to everybody for a couple of weeks, even force teams. Bamously, the US Olympic team had a flu outbreak and they took Tama flu and they won five gold medals one Winter Electics from that team. So you know who knows.
Yeah again, doctor Stephen Fagin's he's director Hamlet County Medical Hamila County Medical Director. I guess I should say we're talking about the flu and RSV season where what these cold temperatures are going to be stuck indoors even more. Of course, that causes it to be more communicable because you're around people the drier temperatures and other thing, which is why we advise having the humidity level in your
house like around nice, comfortable thirty percent. It saves money, but also it may reduce you getting the sickness or at least passing on, which is in the workplace you don't really have that. This is why we see the flu spread as much as we do. Humidity is a big part of part of this too, right, that can't be understanding.
It really is. And so why do you get cold in the cold. It's not necessarily the cold weather. It's the lower humidity and that's virus. So a ton of studies I've really shown that, you know, it's it's the lower humidity that doesn't really cause the virus and has a little veriance to break up. Like you look at versus say forty, you know you're gonna have a lot
less vires. Property particles make it sixty plus for the higher humidity back here the opposite though, it's actually lower humidity that you want for bacteria that's how your operating rooms are all run at lower humidity on purpose to prevent bacterial infections. And so it's the viruses that are not,
you know, inhibited by the lower humidity. So what about it humidifier, you know, and and for that little piece that it helps helps with symptoms, may help increase the humidity, may help with symptoms, but make sure that you wash it because you don't want the bacteria and humidifying.
Okay, so let's talk about maybe if we get a second wave. The FED saying okay, CDC looks like we may see a spike in February said got I hope not.
But some of you plan for the worst, hope for the best.
We always plan for, say, if you're a health system, you always plan for a third in anything. Right now children since my children that seem more ares to the hospital bass and flu, so there's always some virus or some kind of bacteria. It's going to be out there, so you always plan for that. As a house, you know, you always plan for treatment or being able to call a healthcare provider to get medication or at least to
get an evaluation if need be. And so you know the usual things are the are the usual things just like you're just like your mont said.
Yep, yeah, well how are we doing on RSV?
So r C is up.
In fact, if you look around, we don't know as much about our speakers. We don't test an adults. They tested children well than not. We don't test it, so it could be more than we know. So we look at wastewater and wastewater says show RSC levels being about half because they were very high this time last year, so maybe half to two thirds of what they were last year, but certainly typical of this time of year.
Okay, So RSV is a different thing entire generally hits the younger and maybe the older as well, but all of us, I think we all amen. God, I hope I don't get the flu this year, and a lot of people are sick. And I think there's also a misdiagnosis too, would agree. Most people think they have the flu and it may not be the flu, or don't think they have the flu and they actually.
Do, oh of course, and who knows what the you know what the cold is. And until you test, pretty much everybody who comes in works department or at least gets in the hospital gets at least a flu test A and B and A and a COVID test. Sometimes we do more if we're not sure. But yeah, I mean there's all kinds of stuff you know, you you may or may not have had, and you get through it.
How's our COVID rate?
By the way, So covid you know, kind of popped up and in fact I sort of see more in the hospital myself, and maybe peaking. Uh probably you know, half of what last year and you had a little little peak in August that we're roughly about that level. And so that's why, you know, when you look at the winter, you look at it as a whole respiratory season,
it always seems like something's gonna fill it. Flu comes down, COVID goes up, RSB, whatever, And so the actual number of respiratory ialits is a kind of constant curve through the winter, right.
Uh is that part of the problem too.
You mentioned all of the confluence all these things, and with multiple respiratory viruses cost circulating, I think people need to know to make treatment decisions. For example, you know mentioned tamil flu for the flu, but what is the state here of accessible affordable testing in the county.
It's pretty good, and so we do recommend, you know, going tho Stor and you can get a combination of flu and COVID death. And in fact, you know, sometimes employers will ask employees to do that, like, hey, you're feeling bad, go and check that. Check that before you come. And certainly sports teams, Hey, you feeling bad, go ahead and check that. Law sports teams travel with those with those testings. So it's pretty pretty available, like twenty dollars
or so you can get there. You need to do two. And so you do need to do one. Okay, it's negative, you know, wait twelve hours or maybe the next day. The second one just to confirm. And that's why there are two tests in those in those tackets that you buy.
Gotcha, what does your shelf life for that? By the way, most people don't even bother reading expiration.
Dates, well, you know, they're pretty good, pretty last at least a couple of years. I always check the expiration date, hopefully on self stuff that's expired. But they continue to study, you know, whether these things are still correct. Even though COVID changes, the test still picks it up and the influenza changes. The new flu still picked up by the point care or the typical influenza test. They checked that,
so there's still reasonably accurate. Hardst part is getting the thing up your nose to the point that it needs to be.
Well.
If you've been around during what FU six years ago, you remember jamming that thing up until it came out of the top of your head, So you know those days are back when you get the two we should.
Be used to this stuff, doctor, well sort of.
Yeah, it's always uncomfortable to get that thing and get that good sample, but again, then you know what you have and can seek treatment relative to that. Especially with flu, you can get early treatment and really knock that thing down. Between the vaccination and tamil, food products anti virals, you're probably in pretty good shape. It seems like we are weathering the storm quite well.
Here.
We are, like, you know, it feels like we're halfway through winter. Although winner doesn't want to give it up, it's going to be a while here before we can stop having this conversation. But you see them on top of things and ready for whatever mother nature throws out.
It sounds like, well, thanks, And there's a ton of people epidemiologists and a ton of people always watching, always looking, want checking down the sort of you know, expects the disease fighters there who are working, working all the time, and anytime something pops up, there's a conversation, discussion, and we talk not just with the health apartments, with the health systems, and so we have a pretty good network.
We've been texting all morning of the health systems and the health departments here in this part of the country.
Yeah, I mean you work together to make sure that you know, you see the trends coming before we know about them for sure. Is there something on the horizon do you know about you can maybe in the next couple of weeks or a couple of months, how and how far in advance you kind of figure these.
Things out well.
And so there is this thing called the winter vomiting Thickness Vote of our you know, the things see on cruise it and stuff like that. And we in the past week or so have in fact seeing uh one or more of our wastewater treatment plants start to come up in voatavirus and so probably put out you know, the alert here in the next next day or so.
And so that's not something you want either, And so it's not a bit so, you know, but I will tell you it's that that right now it's roughly half of what it was this time of year, but this time of year last year we had one of the highest amounts of roatavirus that we've seen a long time. So so we're at typical levels, but we are. You know, the wastewater is showing that. And you know, wastewater doesn't lie for rotavirus because that's how it how it breads.
Yeah, so rotavirus routine facts and intents get it a lot too. But is it solely hand washing? And what is the as you call the vector the same?
What?
What? How?
How do you want to contract dirty hands?
Right? The same thing? Hand washing? Good hand washing more of our of ours. Both of those are kind of the same. And so you know, good good hand washing, and especially especially if you find the family is really throwing up a lot it is that you know that vombit it that's in Texas, and so you want to sanitize that and make sure it's washed with soap and water, not hand sanitizer because the alcohol really didn't didn't take nore virsto of ours.
Oh wow, So that's good news. Okay, I'll throw alcohol. You know, hand sanitizer that does not do it. It's got to be soap, uh sur factor. And then you wash your hands for twenty seconds and get all those germs down the sink.
Yes, yeah, and only touched a second. Just rub your face, touch your hand to your face.
You got it.
If you got that habit, it's not a good one to have this. This is this time of year, that's for sure. Doctor Stephen Fagan's uh he is the medical director Hamlet County. Thanks again so much for the information. Appreciate it.
Be well, take care every day.
Yeah, there's a few.
More people back at work today, but again we're not we're not the full strength, as we say in hockey. We'll do a news update and if you have met that's a cold is gonna last. Here's a spoiler avert for you. With the weather, it's gonna last for a couple of weeks. It's a good feel like anyway, maybe a week from Thursday possibly, I guess this is when we may get near freezing. At this point, who knows. You just gotta bear down. We're gonna white knuckle it
literally and figuratively for sure. So that's on the way. We get news update, latest to Minnesota, and we'll return a little money tune up. Andy Shaeffer drops in once again. He's with Simply Money and all Worth Advisors. Lots to talk about the markets, including India and the European Union getting together to try and gang up on the United States to try and circumvent tariffs. What does all that mean? We'll talk about it next with Andy Shaffer from Alworth
on the Scott Sloan Show. This is seven hundred wo