South Carolina placed in CDC’s category for highest level of flu activity

PICKENS — Local cases of influenza and other respiratory illnesses are on the rise. South Carolina and Louisiana have been placed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s category for the highest level of flu activity.

Inpatient admissions for the flu and COVID increased at AnMed over each of the first three weeks of December.

AnMed’s infection-control experts are closely monitoring the situation and its impacts on the health system. While no change in policy has been instituted thus far, new recommendations have been issued to limit visits to hospital patients, which reduces risks:

• AnMed asks that patient visitation be limited as much as possible. No one who is sick or experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness – symptoms like fever, cough, sneezing, runny nose or sore throat – should visit hospital patients.
• AnMed recommends that all visitors wear facemasks while in health system facilities.

These steps can help control the spread of infections, as can these simple precautions for local residents:

• Get vaccinated. Vaccines can increase your chances of remaining healthy and avoiding spreading sickness to others.
• Stay home if you’re sick. If you require medical attention, get it. Wear a mask and keep a distance of at least six feet from others to slow the spread of illness if you must leave your home to seek care. But otherwise avoid contact with others, and stay home for 24 hours after your fever has subsided without the aid of medicine.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and throw away the tissue when you’re done. Use your sleeve or elbow if you don’t have a tissue. Then wash or sanitize your hands after each cough or sneeze.
• Wash your hands frequently. Wash with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if you don’t have soap and water. Wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

A recent CDC study found that an average of about 8% of the U.S. population gets sick from the flu each annual season. Anyone can get flu, and serious problems related to flu can happen at any age, but some people are at higher risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years old and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart disease, pregnant women, and children younger than age 5.

Local residents who need care for suspected cases of the flu or other respiratory illnesses should contact their primary care provider or visit an AnMed CareConnect clinic in Anderson or Clemson.

Founded in 1908, AnMed is an independent, not-for-profit health system serving Upstate South Carolina and northeast Georgia. It is licensed for 601 beds and anchored by AnMed Medical Center, a 508-bed acute-care hospital that has earned the prestigious Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The system also includes AnMed North Campus and AnMed Rehabilitation Hospital in Anderson, AnMed Cannon in Pickens and more than 60 physician practices. More than 30 specialties are represented on staff. AnMed locations are spread from Easley to Hartwell, Georgia. Named one of the nation’s 153 “Great Community Hospitals” by Becker’s Hospital Review, AnMed has more than 370 physicians and 3,600 employees, and it is Anderson County’s largest employer. Learn more at AnMed.org.

For more information, contact Michael Burns at michael.burns@anmed.org or 864-512-3765.