PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It is the time of year when it feels like everyone around you is sick with the flu.
Dr. Jose Barquin, the director of the AdventHealth North Pinellas and Palm Harbor Emergency Department, said flu numbers have been pretty consistent over the last few months. However, he has noticed that they have gone up over the last week or two.
Dr. Barquin said he’s seeing a lot of patients in the emergency department, but they are not necessarily as sick as previous flu strains.
ABC Action News asked him if you have the flu at what point should you go to the emergency room?
“If you're feeling short of breath, if you're feeling like you're going to pass out, if you're not able to keep down any food or drink, anything that maybe you see a confused family member who has the flu. Unknown Those are the those are the times that you want to consider visiting us at the emergency department,” said Dr. Jose Barquin
This year, we’ve been talking about the flu, RSV, norovirus, and COVID-19 all spreading this season. But Dr. Barquin said right now, the flu is really dominant.
He is hopeful we're peaking right now and the number of cases will start to go down.
ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska heads to Weedon Island, which has a rich history that dates back more than 12,000 years. During that time, it was home to Indigenous populations, a movie studio, an airport, a safe haven for bootleggers during prohibition, and so much more. Today, the preserve protects this wide diversity of natural and cultural resources for current and future generations.
