More than 2,000 flu cases between October and Christmas in Boone County. Vaccination clinic planned

Charles Dunlap, Columbia Daily Tribune
·4 min read
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A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif.
A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans' Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif.

The number of cases of influenza continue to rise in Boone County.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services started tracking the number of flu cases in October. As of Christmas Eve, there were 2,084 total cases. The biggest one week for flu infections was Dec. 4-10, when 450 cases were logged.

"The number of reported cases in Boone County at this time of the current flu season is higher than at least the previous six flu seasons," said Ryan Sheehan, health department spokesperson.

Those ages five to 14 are most affected by the flu with 709 total cases to date. Adults 25 to 49 were the next most affected group, but with 371 total cases to date, a difference of 338 between the two age groups.

So, the health department continues to hold vaccination clinics. PHHS will hold a COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine clinic 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the health department at 1005 W. Worley St.

Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 boosters are available for those five and older, while the Moderna version is for those 12 and older.

They address both the original and omicron variants of COVID-19. Boosters are recommended every two months following a primary series or previous booster.

Flu vaccines are for those six months to 64 years old. High-dose vaccines for those 65 and older will not be available at the clinic.

Those receiving vaccines under the age of 18 need parental consent.

Sheehan recommends people follow the same general advice when dealing with the flu.

"It is important for people to understand, they should get a flu vaccine every year," he said, noting outside of the clinic, people still can call the department to schedule vaccinations.

General symptoms of the flu are fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. More severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing mean medical interventions are needed immediately, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information. If symptoms generally are more mild it is recommended to treat at home.

As of Tuesday, Boone Hospital was treating 15 flu inpatients. The highest number of cases happened over the week of Dec. 11, but has trended downward since then, said Madison Loethen, hospital media relations.

The most common type the hospital has treated is Type A, which is the version that can pass from animals, such as birds or swine, to humans. Type B only is spread among humans.

University of Missouri Health Care likewise saw greater numbers of positive flu tests in the first half of December. For those tested by MU Health Care, there were 278 positive results for Influenza Type A for the week of Dec. 11. The same general time frame in 2021 there were just shy of 110 cases through MU Health Care.

Both in 2021 and in December cases peaked in the third week of December. While there are instances of Influenza Type B it was far less common than Type A over the last two years.

This year saw a steady weekly increase in flu infections from those who sought a test via MU Health Care compared to 2021. There was a nearly 110 case peak in early November 2021 before dropping down to about 50 reported cases by that month's end. It spiked again to 120 in the week of Dec. 19, 2021.

Statewide the week ending on Christmas Eve saw slightly more than 7,000 cases, adding to the season's to-date total of roughly 82,000. This is significantly down from two weeks ago when statewide cases were more than double at 16,851. Like with local and county reporting, cases peaked in early December.

Flu cases statewide also have spread quicker and in a shorter time span than previous years, though total numbers are similar to the pre-COVID-19 season in late 2019 and into early 2020.

The pre-COVID-19 flu season, saw its flu peak in mid-February 2020. Flu data is essentially nonexistent and the 2021-2022 flu season saw less than 5,000 cases statewide.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Boone County sees most severe flu season in six years