Flu season hit the Midlands hard and suddenly in November

Flu season hit the Midlands hard and suddenly in November.

As of Nov. 3, only 16 rapid flu tests had come back positive in Richland, Lexington, Sumter and Kershaw counties. From Nov. 3 through Nov. 24, there were 349 positive rapid tests in those counties, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. And 202 of those were in Richland County.

Statewide, there were 38 flu-related hospitalizations in the week ending Nov. 24. There had been only 23 in the previous five weeks.

Officially, the flu status in the state went from sporadic to widespread, and the first flu-related death of the season, a child in Barnwell County, was reported last week.

Health officials remind people that the best defense is to get a flu shot, and the best way to prevent the spread of the virus is to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, wash hands often and thoroughly and stay home when you’re sick.

Joey Holleman