The Chicago Fire Department added five surge ambulances to streets Friday and Saturday after the city saw a spike in flu-related emergency medical calls, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Cook County Health & Hospitals System alone has confirmed 149 flu cases so far this season, compared to 210 for the whole flu season last year.
Loyola Medicine physicians, which include those at the main medical center in Maywood, Ill., and approximately 30 satellite locations, confirmed 179 cases during the Christmas week — a four-year high, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
The five additional advanced life support ambulances will increase the number of ambulances on Chicago's streets from 75 to 80 and will aim to reduce the city's increased response times for emergency calls.
Chicago will have five new ambulances permanently placed on streets by the end of March, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Friday.