CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Doctors across the Coastal Bend are sounding the alarm as flu cases continue to rise in Corpus Christi area.
We've reached the midway point in the flu season, which officially ends in April, and the number of positive flu tests this year is at a nearly 600 percent increase over the same time in 2023.
That increase is having a catastrophic impact on our hospitals, with nine children admitted to Driscoll Children's Hospital alone. At this time, four children are in the hospital's intensive care unit.
Health officials, such as Nueces County-Corpus Christi public health director Dr. Fauzia Khan, are worried about a dramatic jump in cases before Christmas that was visible in the latest report.
"Last year our numbers were much lower," Khan said. "The week before Christmas it was 143."
Khan said 803 cases puts Nueces County in the "red zone."
While those were overall numbers, Driscoll Children's Hospital is also reporting a spike among its patients.
Hospital executive vice president and chief operating officer Dr. Mary Dale Peterson said she quickly took notice of the large number of patients admitted to the hospital with the flu.
"I became concerned a week or so ago when I noticed that over half of the patients on one of our floors were in the hospital because of flu," Patterson said. "And then I also noticed we have a number of children in our ICUs, one of which is on the heart-lung machine, which is sort of your last ditch effort to save a patient."
Both doctors says it's not too late to get the flu shot, and that anyone showing symptoms needs to stay home, especially as school is about to restart.
"When doctors think, 'This could be the flu', 23 percent are testing positive," Peterson said. "That's very high. Usually we say that we're in a flu season when we have more than 7 percent test positive,"
No-cost shots are available at the public health district office on Horne Road.
And the spike in cases is enough to prompt special program from the health district, Khan said.
"The health department is reaching out to employers, shelters, as well as businesses -- wherever there are uninsured people -- we'll be happy to come and vaccinate your staff," she said.
The health district will be holding a mobile clinic from 1-4:30pm. Jan. 26 at the Robert Driscoll Elementary School in Robstown.
Along providing no-cost services, they will also be providing the flu vaccine at no cost.
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