Flu activity is up across Illinois, and that includes Grundy County, where Morris Hospital said it saw 167 cases from Dec. 21-27, over double the 72 from the week before that.

This is in line with data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which said hospital admissions from across the state due to the flu had doubled that same week.

The data from Morris Hospital continues to follow the statewide trend: 8% of all emergency room visits were due to the flu Dec. 21-27. In Morris, that number was 10%. By the following week, Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, the flu accounted for 4.5% of all emergency room admissions, and Morris Hospital was down to 33 new patients with the flu.

During the week of Dec. 21-27, Morris Hospital had a positivity rate of 38%. That means 38% of all people being tested for the flu had the flu.

Dr. Anthony Leazzo, Morris Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, said the number one thing people can do this time of year to avoid the flu is wash their hands.

While the flu is a respiratory virus, people can pick up germs from things like handrails and window sills.

“We tend to touch our faces around 20 times an hour, if not more than that,” Leazzo said. “That is how everything gets in.”

According to IDPH, most hospital admissions due to flu are in children ages 5 to 17 and 29.9% of all acute respiratory admissions are in that same age group.

Only 15% of children ages 5 to 17 have received the flu vaccine, according to the last information from the IDPH.

The next most affected demographic are those aged 65 and older, representing 7% of flu-related hospital admissions. More than 47% of adults in this age group have received the flu vaccine, the state said.

Leazzo said the weather, especially, can wreak havoc on people’s immune systems.

“It’s 50 one day and 20 the next day, and it’s going down into the teens or even lower at night. These big swings in temperature really wreak havoc on your body’s immune system,” Leazzo said. “The more rest you can get during these times, the better, and eat healthy so you can be prepared for cold and flu-type stuff.”

Leazzo said even if it’s 50 degrees, don’t walk around without a jacket, and be prepared for when it gets even colder.

“If you’re around people that are sick, maintain the gold, old-fashioned social distancing,” Leazzo said. “If you’re the one sick, wear a mask. It did a great job of preventing the common cold and flu during the pandemic. A lot of people didn’t talk about those rates because everyone was fixated on COVID, but flu and strep throat all went down because of masking.”

What to do if you get sick

The flu is a virus, so there are no antibiotics that can help with it, Leazzo said. That means those suffering from the flu should focus on symptom control with Tylenol and ibuprofen, and other cold remedies like Dayquil and Nyquil.

“Vitamin C can really help, and zinc can mitigate some of the symptoms, and that also helps boost your immune system,” Leazzo said. “Not only are you fighting these things off faster, but you know, sometimes people get other infections like strep throat or a bacterial infection when they have a virus, because your immune system is knocked down. You get set up for what we call super infections, where you’re already infected with a virus and then you get the opposite one because your body is more vulnerable.”

Then there are the commonly known solutions to fending off the worst symptoms – rest and drink plenty of water. Leazzo said Gatorade and Pedialyte can both help to restore electrolytes. He also said home remedies like chicken soup aren’t just a joke. They can really help.

Only 1 in 5 Illinois residents overall has received the flu vaccine, and only 5% have received the updated COVID-19 shot, according to the latest data from the IDPH.

The number of residents who have received the flu shot through the end of November was at 21.9%, down 4% from this time a year ago and reflecting a consistent downward trend in people getting vaccinated over the past five years.