Doctors worried about a difficult flu season after last season's record lows

Doctors worried about a difficult flu season this year

Health leaders say getting a flu shot is now more important than ever as the delta variant continues to take a toll on North Texas hospitals. They're worried about what they're calling a twin pandemic.

DALLAS - Local leaders are worried about a possible "twin pandemic" this fall if more people don’t get the flu vaccine while hospitals remain overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Last year, flu season was barely a blip.

The Centers for Disease Control said flu-related hospitalizations were the lowest on record and there was just one pediatric death from the flu in the country.

In previous seasons, the number of pediatric flu deaths has been closer to 200.

It’s believed last year’s low level of influenza transmission was due to the mask mandates and other COVID-19 protocols that were in place. 

Since many of those protocols are no longer in place, the head of the DFW Hospital Council said he’s worried about what he calls a "twin pandemic."

"And by that I mean if we’re not wearing masks properly and we have a flu epidemic and we add that to COVID-19 we could really have the capacity issues, staffing issues we’ve never seen before in our hospitals. And we don’t want that," said Stephen Love, the president of the DFW Hospital Council.

Another rampant respiratory illness that is already adding to the mix is RSV. 

Doctors say the smart thing to do is for children and adults to continue wearing masks.

They also encourage everyone who is eligible to get both the COVID-19 and flu vaccine this year.