Annie Prange
New member
Kitchener - Grand River Hospital says its emergency room doctors are seeing more cases of influenza like symptoms.
Communications director Mark Karjaluoto says on average the hospital deals with 160 and 170 patients a day, Tuesday it went up to 198.
He notes they do not keep data of the age groups coming in and there's no confirmation if they had a regular flu or swine flu.
Karjaluoto says the extra visits to the hospital for flu like symptoms is something new for the end of October as they normally see influenza like symptoms appearing in the winter months.
He advises people against using the Emergency Room if you have the flu, unless you are a high priority patient. Those patients include pregnant women, infants under age of five, heart or lung disease, chronic health problems, or receiving treatment for a health related issue.
Karjaluoto points to the Region's pandemic site suggesting it has a lot of information on how you can take care of yourself at home.
If you don't have a family doctor you can advise Telehealth Ontario to determine what to do.
570 News has not received word from St. Mary's or Cambridge if their ER is receiving the same number of visitors.
http://www.570news.com/more.jsp?content=20091028_144457_9320
Communications director Mark Karjaluoto says on average the hospital deals with 160 and 170 patients a day, Tuesday it went up to 198.
He notes they do not keep data of the age groups coming in and there's no confirmation if they had a regular flu or swine flu.
Karjaluoto says the extra visits to the hospital for flu like symptoms is something new for the end of October as they normally see influenza like symptoms appearing in the winter months.
He advises people against using the Emergency Room if you have the flu, unless you are a high priority patient. Those patients include pregnant women, infants under age of five, heart or lung disease, chronic health problems, or receiving treatment for a health related issue.
Karjaluoto points to the Region's pandemic site suggesting it has a lot of information on how you can take care of yourself at home.
If you don't have a family doctor you can advise Telehealth Ontario to determine what to do.
570 News has not received word from St. Mary's or Cambridge if their ER is receiving the same number of visitors.
http://www.570news.com/more.jsp?content=20091028_144457_9320