How facilities can prepare for flu season amidst COVID-19

Three years later, and COVID-19 needs no introduction. The virus has ravaged the United States this past year. But while COVID-19 has been unpredictable, the one thing we can count on this year is something we’d rather not: The annual flu season. 

The CDC estimated that during the 2018-2019 flu season, 35.5 million people fell ill with the flu, 16.5 million went to a healthcare provider, 490,600 were hospitalized, and 34,200 died. The CDC’s flu season preparation page states, “Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses like the flu this fall and winter is more important than ever.”

We don’t yet know the impact the flu will have on the world this year. As Scientific American noted earlier this year, flu season could increase or even double the burden on healthcare facilities during COVID-19. Or, Americans’ healthy handwashing and social distancing habits could actually lessen the burden. Regardless, healthcare facilities must be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Here’s how your facility should prepare this flu season.