Rates of flu in Va. twice that of previous seasons

Doctors tracking flu in Virginia are reporting rates at twice the level as a regular season, which could mean the state is in the thickest part of the battle.

Virginia Health Commissioner Karen Remley said 14 percent of urgent care and emergency center visits in Virginia have been due to flu symptoms, a rate similar to peaks in areas of the country that have had earlier outbreaks of the pandemic H1N1, or swine, flu.

"We may be reaching the point where we are in the middle of the epidemic curve, but we can't say for sure," she said during a Friday news conference.

She said the virus is unpredictable, and the state must remain vigilant. Remley said H1N1 vaccine is being shipped as fast as possible, but that manufacturer delays have slowed the process of getting high-risk groups vaccinated.

More than 3 million people in Virginia fall into high-priority groups, Remley said, and the state has received only 400,000 doses to date.

The state had expected to receive about 1.3 million doses of its total allocation of 4.7 million doses of vaccine by the end of October.

Remley asked that people who are not in priority groups step aside for those who are at greater risk of complications, such as pregnant women, children and young adults and people who have chronic health conditions.

She said she expects that everyone who wants the vaccine will have access by mid- to late-November.

"We need to be calm, we need to be patient, we need to be flexible to see what will happen in the next few weeks," she said.

Vaccine clinics began in four public school divisions in South Hampton Roads this week and will begin in Suffolk next week.

But many doctors of high-risk patients have yet to receive the vaccine, and many who have vaccine do not have enough for all of their patients.

That's led to a barrage of complaints and inquiries about where people can get the vaccine. The state's H1N1 call center is fielding 750 to 800 calls a day, most related to the vaccine.

Health departments also have received limited amounts. In addition to holding school clinics, some cities have started vaccinating pregnant women, private school students and other priority groups, but some still are waiting for more doses.

About 60 percent of the vaccine received in the state has been in the injectable form. Nasal spray doses are only for healthy people 2 to 49 years old who are not pregnant.

The swine flu is widespread in Virginia and 45 other states. Deaths have now topped 1,000 in the country. Ten people in Virginia have died with H1N1-related illnesses so far. The most recent was a first-

grader from Amelia County who had no underlying health problems. Hers was one of nearly 100 swine flu deaths in children reported across the country.

A spokesman for Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters said visits of children with flu symptoms to pediatric offices have been increasing. The emergency department is seeing patients with flu symptoms but not an overwhelming number.

Remley said the vaccine is just one way people can protect themselves, the others being washing hands, covering coughs and keeping "social distance." Remley said she tries to avoid shaking hands.

"I tend to smile now and say hi to people," she said.

Elizabeth Simpson, (757) 446-2635, elizabeth.simpson@pilotonline.com