Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health is reporting a higher-than-normal number of flu cases for this time of the year, reports The Kingsport Times News.
The health system has recorded 270 flu cases since Sept. 26. This figure nearly doubled in the first two weeks of December.
"Last year, we didn't have 100 flu cases in a week until the third week of January. This year, that happened in the second week of December," Jamie Swift, RN, corporate director of infection prevention at Ballad Health, told The Kingsport Times News.
The uptick in flu cases spurred the health system to implement visitor restrictions at all of its hospitals.
"Flu rates are already high, and we don't think we're anywhere near the peak yet," Ms. Swift said. "We fully expect our numbers to get much higher before they start declining."
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