BRANDON, Fla. — Florida is now among more than 30 states reporting very high flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — and Tampa Bay doctors say they are seeing it firsthand in emergency rooms.
At HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, Emergency Physician and Residency Program Director Dr. Harold Gomez says the virus is not only spreading quickly, but many patients are arriving sicker than in previous months.
“We have definitely seen an uptick in the number of flu cases, with more severe cases than we were seeing earlier in the season. It has been a late start to the flu season this year compared with prior years,” Gomez said. We were definitely seeing a large increase in the number of cases right now.”…