Pity the poor social media folks trying to make #fightflu go viral Thursday, not to mention holding a press conference at the same time the Ford/Kavanaugh hearings began.

But while I’m sure many of us found it hard to tear ourselves away from the latter, we’d be remiss not to delve into the former.

That’s because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the flu killed 80,000 people last season, and resulted in another 900,000 going to the hospital.

Comparatively, in some other seasons closer to somewhere between 12,000 and 56,000 people die and leave another 700,000 hospitalized.

It’s doubtful the terrible 2017-2018 numbers are a shock to anyone in long-term care, especially direct care workers who may have seen several beloved residents perish last season. Even when a senior survives, an older or frail person may never recover completely from the flu, said William Schaffner, M.D., National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Medical Director, during a press conference in Washington, D.C., Thursday.

“When people who are elderly get the flu, they may not return to pre-flu functional levels,” he said. “It can initiate a slide into disability.”

This leads us back to what we can do to prevent deaths this season. I’d argue it’s never a great sign when the U.S. Surgeon General chastises your industry. While he did so gently, Jerome M. Adams, M.D., noted how badly long-term care does in relationship to vaccination rates.

“Coverage is still lowest among long-term care workers who work with patients who are at the highest risk,” he said.

The steps he encouraged are the ones we know, but are worth reiterating. First, the flu vaccine. I believe, deep in my heart, that the majority of long-term care workers aren’t as paranoid as the commenters who leave the same comments on every flu story we write. But employers can make access easier. If a mandatory flu shot policy isn’t going to happen at your community, you still must make it available and affordable.

Next, do NOT make an employee feel guilty for staying home when sick. The value of an employee with the flu working one day will be quickly lost by them infecting other staff or residents.  

Finally, take antiviral drugs. What likely kept my pregnant self out of the hospital last year was being able to take TamiFlu quickly. (I wrote earlier this year about how I got the flu shot and still became infected, but that the shot likely prevented me and my unborn baby from dire consequences.)

At the end of the day, we’re never going to convince the hard-core anti-vaccine folks to see reason. But we can dispel myths, make the shot available and put our residents’ health first.

After all, “We live in a time that allows us to not die from infectious diseases,” said Wendy Sue L. Swanson, M.D., MBE, Chief of Digital Innovation, Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Those are words to heed as we approach this season. 

Follow Senior Editor Elizabeth Newman @TigerELN.