Maryland is providing $164 million in surge funding to hospitals throughout the state to help deal with high respiratory illness levels this season.
The money will support access to care in hospitals by covering increased operational costs for staff and provide greater flexibility to manage the high volume of respiratory illness cases hitting medical centers this season.
Maryland will fund 25 hospitals between $49,000 and $32.8 million.
“As cases of respiratory illnesses surge across Maryland, we must step up to ensure health care professionals have the resources they need to treat patients and that our people can receive the care they need,” said Gov. Wes Moore. “At the same time, our administration will continue to protect access to lifesaving vaccines and make clear that public health decisions in Maryland are made by medical professionals and guided by proven evidence — not political decisions.”
As of Jan. 14, almost 4,100 have been hospitalized for the flu and nearly a thousand have been hospitalized for RSV. Additionally, 569 people have been hospitalized for COVID.
The high flu numbers are in part caused by H3N2 subclade K, a new flu variant that has become widespread.
“It is currently driving influenza cases in the U.S. as well,” said Andy Pekosz, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who studies respiratory illnesses. “It has mutations that may allow it to evade some, but not all, of the influenza vaccine-induced protection. The H1N1 and IBV viruses circulating look to be good matches to the vaccine.”
The subclade K variation of the flu was identified after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made its vaccine selection, making it less effective against the variation.
Pekosz and other medical professionals agree that the flu vaccine will still provide some level of protection against subclade K and could lessen the severity of the illness. The vaccine will also protect against other common strains of the disease.
The flu comes with a fever, body aches and headache.
Experts recommend frequent hand washing and masking in crowded spaces to reduce the chances of getting the illness.
