Hospitals Brace For Impact Of Flu, COVID

A main challenge will be differentiating patients being admitted with the flu from those with COVID-19

October 5, 2020

Hospitals are preparing for a new unknown: a flu season that could coincide with a resurgence of coronavirus, according to an article on the SP Global website.

"If you're Amazon, you know the Christmas season is going to be busy, right? If you're in healthcare, you know the flu season is going to be busy," Amy Compton-Phillips, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Providence St. Joseph Health, said in the article.

"This isn't rocket science to know that you've got to prepare for that.

"Our worst-case scenario is if we have a bad flu season together with a bad COVID season, that will be our upper bound. If we have a good flu season, together with a good COVID season, that'll be our lower bound," Compton-Phillips said. "How do we get ready for everything between those two bounds?"

A main challenge will be differentiating patients being admitted with the flu from those with COVID-19 — as well as managing those with both viruses, which doctors have not yet dealt with.

Hospitals are already looking ahead to flu season, according to an article on the Observer-Reporter website. Some hospitals are stockpiling personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, face shields and gowns. The pandemic already has strained the worldwide supply of PPE, including masks, face shields and gowns.

Read the SP Global website.