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If You Think Almost Everybody has the Flu, You Could Be Right
For the first time, the death rate from flu exceeds the mortality rate for Covid-19.
My spouse and I returned from a Caribbean cruise two weeks ago, and reports of illness started trickling in almost immediately. We traveled with 8 other couples, and at least half of them got sick.
Luckily, my spouse and I escaped the scourge this time, but my brother-in-law wasn't so fortunate. His cough and fever led to an urgent care visit, where he was diagnosed with a virus and prescribed steroids. That didn’t help, and a week later, his wife drove him to the ER. This time, he was diagnosed with influenza Type A and hospitalized for a couple of days.
I discovered through a flurry of text messages that my other brother-in-law, who wasn’t with us on the cruise, was also being treated for influenza.
The year my flu became pneumonia
We’re all over 65 and we’ve had our flu shots, but they obviously don’t always prevent influenza. I will continue getting vaccinated every year, though, because I can’t forget one devastating winter 38 years ago when my influenza turned into pneumonia.
