Cookeville Regional Medical Center continues to see an increase in flu cases.
Infection Prevention Manager Stephanie Etter said we could be entering the peak flu season.
“Looking at the latest CDC report, I think we are going to see another 10 weeks of the flu,” Etter said. “The vaccine is not as effective as we would like it to be, but some protection is better than no protection at all. We strongly encourage folks to get their vaccine.”
Etter said the ER is seeing about 200 to 250 cases of the flu per month and that’s not including numbers at the Cookeville Regional Medical Center Urgent Care.
“Stay home if you have fever, sore throat, and aches,” Etter said. “The thing that some people may not know about the flu is that you are contagious 24 hours before you show symptoms. That’s what makes spreading the flu so easy.”