GREENFIELD — Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s chief of medicine says that the local hospital and all hospitals within the Baystate Health system are preparing for a convergence of the annual flu and COVID-19 this fall and winter.
“The state numbers look good — less than 1 percent overall — but we still have to be vigilant and prepare,” said Dr. Kinan Hreib, vice president and chief medical officer for Baystate Health’s northern region. “State health authorities have been on top of things, and the state’s residents have followed the guidelines, for the most part, and that has gone a long way.”
Hreib recommends everyone over the age of six months get a flu shot this year, unless there is a medical reason not to do so. He said there is no shortage of the flu vaccine, so people will be able to get them at local pharmacies, from their physicians and at clinics throughout the county.
“The flu season is always a set-up for significant admission to the hospital,” he said. “It appears COVID-19 is a year-round issue, at least that’s what we believe right now, so the two together could become a real problem.”
Hreib said he is optimistic, though.
“The flu, Influenza A and B, is already active in some parts of the world, and so far they don’t seem to be causing a lot of issues like they do some years,” he said. “The United States has seen as many as 60,000 deaths from the flu in some years.”
COVID-19 numbers look good right now in this area, and he believes it is because people have been wearing masks, social distancing and practicing good hygiene for the past six months. He said COVID-19 testing has been available to almost everyone who has wanted it in Massachusetts – which has not been the case in some parts of the country – and people have done a really good job of sequestering and quarantining themselves.
But he does fear that as the season turns and temperatures drop, people will move indoors and that’s when COVID-19 and the flu will begin to spread, especially among family and friends.
“As the risk of people exposing themselves to each other grows, so will infections,” he said. “If people continue to wear masks, wash their hands and distance themselves from each other, that will help mitigate.”
Hreib is hopeful that even if numbers start to go up, they won’t be as bad as they were in March, when the pandemic first hit the area.
“We are working on being ready to function in two worlds this fall and winter,” he said. “We shut down to most everything else this past spring as we took care of people with COVID-19. The deferred care we experienced hurt patients. Cancer screenings decreased because people were afraid to be exposed, so they didn’t come to hospitals or emergency rooms when they had other serious issues.”
He said he is concerned that over the next months, doctors will see more advanced cases of cancer, for example, or cases of cancer that could have been discovered and treated early.
“That’s one of the things we’ve really got to figure out,” he said. “We’ve also got to have the capacity to shift care quickly to COVID-19 cases, if we have another (surge). We’ll keep 20 percent of our beds available for COVID-19.”
Hreib said everyone should be diligent and protect themselves as best they can and understands it will be a stressful fall and winter for not only residents, but health care providers, who are prepared with personal protective equipment and are all required to get the flu shot.
“Precautions will go a long way this year,” he said. “Because we won’t have a COVID-19 vaccine this year, we need to protect ourselves with a flu vaccine.”
Hreib said the flu vaccine doesn’t necessarily prevent someone from getting the flu, but will in most cases decrease the extent of its effects and decrease the number of people who are hospitalized, end up in ICU or die.
“I know there’s a lot of doom and gloom this year — the flu and COVID-19 could be a really bad combo, especially for people who are vulnerable with significant medical complications,” he said. “That’s why adults and children must be vaccinated for the flu. Otherwise, you’re going to risk spreading to others who might be compromised. We need to keep the spread down.”
And, he said, COVID-19 is very contagious. One person can infect three and those each infect three and before you know it, hundreds or thousands of people could be infected.
Flu vaccines are just starting to be administered – flu season begins in mid-to-late September and ends in mid to late spring. He said people should get their shots now because it takes a few weeks to “kick in” to provide immunity from the neutralized antibodies, which need to be generated in sufficient quantities.
Hreib said people should understand that COVID-19 is a “real” thing and is bad. He believes people have received mixed messages from the country’s leadership – a pandemic has been politicized – and they are confused. He said people need to pay attention to science and understand that the United States has 4 percent of the world’s population and 20 percent of all COVID deaths.
If someone plans to get a flu, shingles and pneumonia shot this year, he said they should get them at different times, so that if there is a reaction, doctors will know from which one.
“Give each shot a chance for reaction before you get the next,” he said.
Pharmacies, including CVS in Greenfield (bit.ly/3kpH4bx or 413-774-7201), Walgreens in Greenfield (bit.ly/3c9S21O or 413-773-3801) and Rite Aid in Greenfield (bit.ly/32E790D or 413-774-2201) and Turners Falls (bit.ly/32E790D or 413-863-3107), are providing flu shots this year, as are CVS in Athol (bit.ly/3kpH4bx or 978-249-7928) and Walgreens in Athol (bit.ly/3c9S21O or 978-249-9132).
Franklin Regional Council of Governments is once again providing a list of flu clinics throughout the county between now and Nov. 8 at: https://frcog.org/flu-clinic/
Bring your insurance card. The fees for those without insurance are: $20 adults and $10 children.
■Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Athol Council on Aging, 83 Freedom St. (registration required by calling 978-249-8986; sponsored by the COH and Walgreens Pharmacy)
■Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 to 11 a.m. at the fairgrounds in Charlemont (drive-thru)
■Wednesday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m. to noon at South County Senior Center, North Main Street, South Deerfield (drive-thru)
■Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 to 11 a.m. in the former school building at 18 Jacobs Road, Heath (inside, safe distancing)
■Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Deerfield Highway Garage, 9 Merrigan Way (no high-dose option, drive-thru)
■Thursday, Oct. 8, 1 to 3 p.m. at Erving Senior Center, 1 Care Drive (drive-thru, rain date Oct. 9)
■Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1 to 3 p.m. at Bernardston Senior Center, 20 Church St. (drive-thru)
■Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to noon at Mohawk Trail Regional High School, 26 Ashfield Road, Buckland (drive-thru, rain date Oct. 18)
■Friday, Oct. 23, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Town Hall, 69 Main St., Northfield (drive-thru)
■Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to noon at Gill Elementary School, 48 Boyle Road (inside, safe distancing)
■Sunday, Oct. 25, 1 to 3 p.m. at Colrain ballfield next to fire station, 51 Main St. (drive-thru)
■Friday, Nov. 6, 9 to 11 a.m. at Conway Town Hall, 5 Academy Hill (inside, safe distancing)
■Sunday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. to noon at the former school building, 7 Brattleboro Road, Leyden (inside, safe distancing)
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.