Flu cases surge in Oklahoma, filling emergency rooms
By Jason Burger
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Flu cases are rising in Oklahoma, leading to crowded emergency rooms at OU Health, where doctors report a significant increase in patients with flu-like symptoms.
Dr. Azeemuddin Ahmed, chief of emergency medicine at OU Health, noted a noticeable uptick in patient volumes at the emergency department.
“There’s certainly an uptick in the volumes we’ve seen in the emergency department,” Ahmed said.
The emergency room at OU Health’s main hospital has been busier than usual, primarily due to flu cases. Ahmed said that in the last seven to ten days, there has been an increase in people presenting with flu-like symptoms.
“I would say within the last seven to ten days, there seems to be an uptick of people presenting with a flu-like illness,” Ahmed said.
Predicting when flu cases will spike each year is challenging, but Ahmed believes the current increase may indicate the onset of the flu season.
“I believe during this time we are seeing that spike, and so cases here at the main campus, and other emergency departments in the health system, we are certainly seeing a larger number of patients presenting with flu-like symptoms,” Ahmed said.
Patients with existing conditions such as heart or lung disease are more affected by the flu, leading to an increase in their hospitalizations.
“Whether it’s heart disease, lung disease — those can often be worsened if you have the flu, and so patients that vulnerable in that way, there is some uptick in their hospitalizations,” Ahmed said.
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