What to Know
- The San Diego Unified School District confirmed there have been a high number of absences at Patrick Henry High School due to probable influenza.
- The district said so far all COVID-19 tests have been negative but found that several students have tested positive for the flu.
- A source familiar with the situation told NBC 7 there are hundreds of cases and almost half of the school is affected or absent.
The San Diego Unified School District said Wednesday there have been hundreds of absences at Patrick Henry High School likely due to an influenza outbreak.
The district said, so far, all COVID-19 tests have been negative but found that several students have tested positive for the flu. Typical signs and symptoms include cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever and other upper respiratory infection symptoms, the district said.
A source familiar with the situation told NBC 7 there are hundreds of cases and almost half of the school is affected or absent.
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"Unfortunately, we anticipated this would be a rough influenza season, and alongside COVID-19, other respiratory viruses are also making a rapid comeback," said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, county deputy public health officer. "If you haven't already, now is the time to get your flu and COVID-19 shots to gain the extra protections afforded by the vaccines."
NBC 7 spoke with a parent who said their freshman is home sick.
"We tested for COVID-19. We took him to the doctor and all that and thank God it's not COVID-19 but still, it's something going on, kinda scary," said Luis Olivares.
“When we dropped him off at school this morning, I could tell the difference in the traffic. There was no traffic dropping them off. And the parking lot doesn’t look so full. So it's just crazy what's going on.”
The county reports that no hospitalizations have yet been linked to the illness investigation at the school, but local hospitals, including
The county is evaluating the possibility of similar outbreaks at other schools
Rady Children's Hospital said it has seen a recent spike in emergency room visits for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
San Diego County reported a total of 304 lab-confirmed influenza cases last week, bringing the total for the season that started on July 3 to 1,082. At the same time last year, the county had reported 200 cases of the flu.
The flu shot, COVID-19 primary dose vaccines, and bivalent boosters are widely available across the region. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated against both viruses yearly.
It takes about two weeks after vaccination for immunity to develop. The CDC also indicates people can get the flu and COVID-19 vaccination at the same time, including a booster dose. The COVID-19 vaccine does not work against influenza and vice versa.
Final data for the 2021-22 flu season is still pending and will be available later this year.
During the 2020-21 flu season, 848 influenza cases were reported in San Diego, including two deaths. During the 2019-20 flu season, more than 20,700 flu cases were reported and 108 San Diegans died from influenza.
