NORFOLK, Va. — If you are dealing with the flu, you are not alone.
The Virginia Department of Health says overall respiratory illness in Virginia was high and trending up during the first week in February.
Similar numbers of COVID, Influenza, and RSV were being reported in North Carolina.
“We’re seeing flu, people with influenza, most every day," said Dr. Brant Thomas.
Watch: NC, VA report rise in flu cases as local pharmacies try to keep Tamiflu stocked
Thomas is a partner at Lifeway Family Physicians in Virginia Beach. The practice is trying to stay on top of what he Thomas said is the worst flu season in the United States in over a decade.
“We’ve actually built into our schedule that we have some more open slots during this January-February time of year," Thomas explained.
While we’re probably all familiar with the common flu symptoms like a sore throat, stuffy nose, and headache, Thomas said most people don’t realize you’re five times more likely to have a heart attack when you have the flu.
Watch: Suffolk mother shares RSV signs as flu and RSV cases are on the rise
“Our immune system fights germs with inflammation. So we have this tremendous inflammatory response to fight off a bad germ and this inflammation destabilizes plaque that are in your coronary arteries or even in your head with a stroke," said Thomas.
Speaking of the head, a fever caused by the flu could lead to hallucinations.
“When people get a fever of 102 or above, your body is really struggling and your brain can create some stories. It has a hard time dealing with reality," Thomas said.
Watch: 2 Virginia children die from the flu, prompting warning from health officials
At Peoples Pharmacy in Norfolk, Dr. Anna Peoples said she was stocked up on flu medications, including Tamiflu.
As News 3 reported Feb. 4, Tamiflu is something pharmacies were struggling to keep in stock because of the amount of flu cases.
“We’re here for the community and we have stocked up on those products that we feel like the community would need so that we don’t get an outbreak," Peoples said.
Watch: Don't let the 'cost of a cold' take out your finances this winter
Asked what medicines people are coming in to get for the flu, Peoples said there are two types of people.
"They're coming in for alternative medicines that they can [use] to treat the symptoms more so. But then there are folks who have been diagnosed by their primary care physicians with having the flu. So they're getting prescriptions for things like Tamiflu," said Peoples. "But they're also getting things that are used for bacterial infections."
One thing both she and Thomas said is people are having a harder time getting over the flu.
"The symptoms are lasting longer and a lot of people now are having to get hospitalized," Peoples explained.
Watch: Flu cases on the rise amid new concerns about government health data
As Scripps News has reported, a freeze on communications ordered by President Trump for some health agencies has also made the flu season challenging.
Health experts say the lack of communication can impact if and when people choose to get a flu vaccine.
