CDC Continues To Track Flu Cases During Government Shutdown
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The government remains shut down on Monday morning after the U.S. Senate failed to reach a spending bill deal on Friday night. But there is optimism on Capitol Hill. Majority leader Mitch McConnell presented a plan Sunday night that would restore government funding for three weeks.
A vote on that measure will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday.
Meanwhile, the country is also trying to get a handle on one of the most severe flu seasons in recent history. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still tracking cases of the flu, and stated that they will continue to do so despite the government shutdown.
However, it is likely that the CDC will be short-staffed while tracking the country's flu cases. According to Time magazine, 63 percent of the CDC's employees will be furloughed during the government shutdown. That comes out to a total of about 8,500 people that the CDC will be without.
MedStar has released some local flu statistics. There have been 389 total cases this month in the Metroplex. Of those, 71 of the patients were in the 50-59 age range. About six cases were reported each day in December. That number has jumped to about 19 cases each day in January.
Tarrant County is seeing some of the highest numbers of patients with primary or secondary flu-like symptoms.
Dallas County has reported 40 flu-related deaths so far this season. According to the most recent numbers from Dallas County Health and Human Services, the 39th patient was an 81-year-old resident from Dallas while the most recent was a 17-year-old resident from Dallas. Both died after complications from the flu, and had high-risk health conditions.