From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— State health officials say they’ve expanded respiratory virus testing amid a 13% drop in flu shots.
The Department of Health Services is urging residents to get vaccinated ahead of this year’s holiday gatherings, which typically coincide with an increase in flu activity. During the last respiratory virus season, the state had a 211% increase in flu-related hospitalizations between the end of December and the end of January, DHS figures show.
“In public health, data is our alert system. Our data show that on average, cases of respiratory viruses increase late fall and early winter as the weather gets colder,” DHS Respiratory Disease Epidemiologist Tom Haupt said in a release. “This is a great time to get vaccinated to prevent illnesses for you and those around you.”
The agency reports the number of flu shots administered in October declined by 13% compared to last year. A total of 1.3 million state residents have gotten a flu shot this season, DHS says, or 23% of the state. That rises to 48% for adults aged 65 and older and dips to 21% for children aged 4 and under.
Meanwhile, about 500,000 state residents have gotten an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
While national reports point to the potential for a harsh flu season, state-level figures show flu activity in Wisconsin is low but increasing based on emergency department reporting.
As of the week ending Nov. 15, 14% of emergency department visits in Wisconsin included a respiratory illness diagnosis. In early February of this year, the end of the last flu season, that percentage peaked at 28%.
See more in the release below.
— UW Health is reporting better-than-expected growth in specialty care at its Eastpark Medical Center after its first year of operation.
The health system last fall opened the 475,000-square-foot facility, which has had about 1,050 clinic visits per day on average, according to today’s announcement. When looking at appointments for things like imaging, lab work, nutrition and rehabilitation, that figure rises to an average of 4,600 per day.
UW Health says 22% of the 34,000 people seen at the center over the past year were new patients for the health system, and 27% of patients with specialty care appointments were new to that area of care.
Teresa Neely, the health system’s vice president and regional chief operating officer, points to “rapidly growing demand” for specialty care.
“As part of the clinical program planning for Eastpark, we completed 10-year projected growth rates for the specialties planned for this location,” she said in the release. “Just four years into those forecasts, we’re seeing growth rates exceed the 10-year projections in 18 of those specialties.”
See more in the release below.
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Press Releases
– Department of Health Services: Tracking respiratory illness activity ahead of the holiday season
– UW Health: Reports on first year of Eastpark Medical Center
