When flu season meets the coronavirus

    The Cherokee County Health Department is concerned about flu season starting and expects COVID-19 testing to increase as a result.
    COVID-19 and flu symptoms are similar. Anyone can get tested for COVID-19, while a doctor’s order is needed to get tested for influenza, county Heath Director David Badger said.
    “I think there’s going to be more pressure on health-care providers,” Badger said.
    Anyone experiencing symptoms will have to apply the logic that they could have COVID-19 unless
tests prove otherwise, Badger said. The big difference between the two viruses is a person is considered clear from transmitting the flu after 24 hours of no fever without use of fever-reducing medication, while a person is considered clear of COVID-19 10 days after the onset of symptoms and 24 hours of no fever without use of fever-reducing medication.
    “The most logical thing is to get screened,” Badger said.
    He added that local providers should all have access to testing supplies for COVID-19, influenza and strep throat. He also encouraged people to get a flu vaccine.
    “If we can eliminate one thing, that can be a step forward,” Badger said.
    Although a COVID-19 spike isn’t expected in coming weeks, the health department is recommending that people vote when they are feeling healthy.
    “I encourage people to get out and vote,” Badger said. “Certainly, early voting is good because it offers more flexibility.”
    For those in more vulnerable populations, he said the options of early voting – where there’s usually less crowds – and absentee voting are ones to consider.
    As of Sunday afternoon, the county had 84 active cases. Since March, the county has had 715 total cases, including 19 people from other states who tested positive while in the county, and 18 people who passed away after testing positive.
    Using data collected from 710 cases, the state reported Monday that 11 percent of the county’s cases were those ages 0-17, 8 percent were ages 18-24, 29 percent were ages 25-49, 25 percent were ages 50-64, 15 percent were ages 65-74 and 13 percent were ages 75 or older.
    Anyone who experiences symptoms should contact their primary care provider, the health department or urgent care. COVID-19 symptoms range from mild to severe and may appear 2-14 days after exposure, while flu symptoms appear 1-4 days after exposure.
    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, both COVID-19 and flu symptoms may include fever, cough, shortness of breath or
difficulty breathing, fatigue, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, muscle aches, headache, and nausea or vomiting, diarrhea. COVID-19 symptoms may also include a new loss of taste or smell.
    Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms, but older adults and those with underlying medical conditions appear to be at higher risk for severe illness. The CDC said the virus spreads very easily, and risk of spreading the virus increases the closer and longer a person’s interaction with another is.
    As of Monday, North Carolina had 232,747 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and 3,773 deaths related to the virus since the beginning of March. More than 206,000 of those cases were presumed to be recovered.
    More than 3.4 million state residents have been tested for the virus. In the last week, 5-7 percent of
the tests returned positive daily.
    As of Oct. 3, there were only two people who tested positive for the flu across the state this season, according to the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services.