Connecticut hospitals add beds as flu cases surge, CDC warns of very high risk

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - Connecticut hospitals are adding extra beds and makeshift rooms to handle an influx of flu patients as the CDC warns of the high risk of getting the flu in the state.

Hartford Hospital and other facilities have been dealing with congested emergency rooms since Thanksgiving, with conditions worsening after the holidays. Healthcare officials urged patients to consider alternatives to emergency departments unless they have serious symptoms.

“The EDs, they’re certainly crowded, maybe overflowing at certain facilities,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, system director of infectious diseases and chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare. “You should go to the ED if you’re having warning signs and symptoms, say you have comorbid conditions such as lung disease, heart disease, and your lungs are not working as well, or your kidneys are not working as well, or your blood sugars are spiking high.”

Doctors want patients to know they have options for flu symptoms, including primary care doctors, urgent care facilities and emergency departments.

It remained unclear if flu season had peaked. Doctors won’t evaluate that until the spring.

Respiratory virus season can run through the spring and even into June. There is still time to get your vaccine.

“You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. It will take approximately two weeks for your immune system to ramp up and protect you,” continued Wu.

Healthcare providers encouraged people to build their immune systems to prevent illness. Dr. Sarah Frawley, a naturopathic physician and owner of Willowbrook Health Center in Cromwell, recommended holistic approaches.

“I’m always making sure my patients are eating their fruits and vegetables. Drinking water. Getting a good night sleep,” Frawley said. “But some easy things that we usually dull out here are elderberry syrup. It’s actually been clinically proven that low doses throughout time actually work just as effectively as the flu vaccine.”

She also recommends taking zinc and vitamin D.

Social media posts were also circulating various flu prevention methods as the illness spreads, including using onions to absorb viruses or swallow whole cloves of garlic.

Doctors warn that those are often clickbait and may not help. Frawley recommended a more natural method.

“Right before bed, you warm up your feet. You can do a hot foot bath or you can do a heating pad. Then you put cold wet cotton socks on and dry wool socks on top. You’ll head to bed and feel better in the morning,” she said.

Frawley and Wu added that stress and lack of sleep make you more likely to get sick.