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Doctors: Fewer people going to the hospital with the flu due to weather

Posted at 7:33 PM, Jan 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-18 19:33:33-05

It hit the nation by storm last week including Hampton Roads. There's finally some better news when it comes to the flu.

Bon Secours says this week, fewer people have come in with the sickness.

And their best guess as to why the patients dwindled down is the weather.

"I think that fewer people were out with the flu to be able to infect others. Because of the weather this past week, I think they've stayed home, they haven't gone to work, and I think that's helped," said Harbour View's Health Center nurse manager, Valerie Sommer.

Harbor View Health Center in Suffolk says they typically see about 100 to 115 patients a day, and last week, 30 percent of those patients had the flu.

This week, they're down to about 20 percent coming in with influenza.

But she thinks the low numbers now could mean a spike in the near future.

"As people get better, or they think they're getting better, or they have been off for a day then they go back to work, they're still infectious and they don't realize that. I think we'll be seeing more people with the flu again," Sommer said.

But Harbor View's numbers aren't in check wtih the CDC, who says as of Friday, all but two states are reporting high levels of the flu.

Virginia and North Carolina are in the CDC's "red zone," which means they have the highest level of reported cases.

But is the end near?

" Oh no, I don't think it's the end. I think we probably still have a couple months of dealing with it," Sommer added.