MPH’s Schaffner: This Year’s Flu Severity and the Strain on Hospitals
Just weeks into the new year, health officials are grappling with a flu season so severe that there have already been regional shortages of antiviral medication and emergency room wait times have skyrocketed. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said one potential reason the flu season has been intense this year is due to the fact that the flu season started early. The influenza season puts additional strain on hospitals, which increasingly lack extra beds for patients.