SEE COUNCIL

from South Platte Independent 020322

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With talk of COVID around the clock, winter is still a time for other illness and viruses, including influenza, which has reemerged this year after being nearly non-existent in 2020-2021.

Doctors across the Front Range said hospitals and clinics started seeing the flu pop up in October and November. Flu season generally lasts through mid-April, leaving doctors along the Denver metro area to say they are not quite sure what to expect as flu season moves into full swing.

At Children’s Hospital Colorado, Dr. Suchitra Rao, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, said they started treating young patients with the flu dating back to October. Rao said the number of cases doctors are seeing at various Children’s Hospital clinics in Douglas, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties are on par with what the levels used to be pre-pandemic.

As of Jan. 27, Rao said Children’s Hospital has had 400 confirmed influenza cases, with 100 of them needing hospitalization.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while states like Texas and New Mexico have “very high” numbers of flu cases, Colorado is still in the “minimal” stage, meaning not many cases are currently being recorded.

Rao said flu cases started dropping again when the omicron variant of COVID-19 sparked up. As cases of omicron increased, for some reason, flu cases again decreased, she said.

When asked what would cause the change, Rao said doctors are looking at a variety of reasons.

“The reasons why are not clear,” Rao said. “Could be people started wearing more masks with more restrictive policies in place. There are some other theories too.”

Rao said one theory that cannot yet be confirmed is that omicron ran “viral interference” to influenza.

“The theory is that one respiratory virus takes over and others go away,” she said.

Dr. Eric Hill, a HealthOne emergency room physician at the Medical Center of Aurora, said the HealthOne network saw cases drop off as omicron came into view. However, Hill said some of that might be because hospitals are stressed and testing for COVID is a priority, which means labs were testing less for the influenza.

“The need of resource to battle omicron skyrocketed, putting a massive drain on the testing labs,” he said. “Unless it was a must-have, the flu tests were not done. COVID really has drained the system.”

Dr. Ben Usatch, an emergency medicine physician and medical director for UCHealth Hospital Highlands Ranch, said he would argue without proof that omicron was just so much more contagious that it spread throughout the region much faster and with more force than influenza can.

Like Children’s Hospital, Hill said that before omicron, adult flu cases were comparative to the days before the COVID pandemic. However, now, doctors are not sure what to expect for the remainder of the flu season, Hill said.

“With the expectation that omicron cases are going to start to drop, whether that means influenza has a chance to grab hold again — we don’t know,” Hill said.

Usatch said after a nonexistent flu season last year, it’s hard to even consider what to expect in the coming months.

To truly protect the community, Usatch said, getting the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine should be a priority.

“Getting these shots not only protects you, but it provides protection to your family and the community,” he said. “A virus is a virus. Some flus are more concerning than others because of the pneumonia factor. The flu season is still young and getting protected is important.”

Rao and Hill said it is not too late to get the flu shot this season, adding that it is better late than never.

Doctors say flu and COVID symptoms are similar. Anyone with symptoms, Rao said, should first be tested for COVID. After that, other diagnosis options can be explored.

Hill said a big difference between COVID and the flu is the high fever. COVID presents with a lower-level fever, while the flu causes much higher temperatures, he said.

While the flu can primarily be treated with fluid and over-the-counter medications, Usatch said anyone struggling to breathe should get to a doctor immediately.

COUNCIL

FROM PAGE 1

Mayor Kyle Schlachter and Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Rydin pushed to see funding for the Littleton Immigration Resources Center (LIRC) added to that list.

“I’ve thought this was a great program for years,” said Schlachter, who was elected mayor in November. “It is a priority for the community … knocking on doors, talking to people, this was probably one of the biggest issues that I heard during the campaign.”

Just one councilmember, Kelly Millman, remains on the council who voted for the center’s funding in Setpember. Milliman, representative for Littleton’s District 4, joined former Mayor Pro Tem Scott Melin in voting in favor of funding.

“I was devastated back in the fall when it was decided not to continue funding,” Milliman said.

But some current councilmembers who had voted to defund the center doubled down on their decision.

“I’m kind of shocked that this continues to raise its head. I thought after the last council voted it down this was pretty much an end of discussion topic,” said Councilmember Patrick Driscoll, of District 1. “This thing has been beat to death.”

‘A different time’ for revenue

The LIRC, which offers low-cost services such as English and civics lessons as well as legal aid to documented immigrants, has for years faced funding uncertainty. While the center, housed in the basement of Bemis Library, maintained a stable budget after securing a $250,000 biannual federal grant in 2012, it lost the money in 2018 after falling short of attendance goals for follow-up tests after citizenship classes. Littleton’s council then agreed to fully fund the LIRC for $300,000 through 2020 with the hope that the center could secure new grants.

Following the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center’s budget was slashed to just under $150,000 for 2021. With no apparent prospect for new grants, the council voted to pull all funding, currently at $115,000, by the end of 2022. But with a rebounding economy, some council members said the time is right to restore the LIRC to pre-COVID level funding.

“It’s a different time, I think there are things that have changed dramatically with revenues,” said Rydin, who had campaigned on restoring the center’s funding prior to her council election in November.”

At $49.7 million, the city’s 2022 general fund budget is a slight increase from the previous year, which was $45.6 million. With the unaccounted for $2.4 million in revenue, city staff seemed prepared to accommodate either a partial return of LIRC services, which would cost an additional $105,000, or a full return of services, which would cost an additional $196,000.

But for Rydin, funding the center is not just a fiscal debate but a moral one too.

“I think this is a values question,” she said. “What kind of community do we want to be? Don’t we want to be welcoming and inclusive, isn’t that in our Comprehensive Plan as a value?”

She argued that by supporting the center, those seeking to work could do so through the LIRC’s resources, which would enhance the city’s economy as well.

That same point was posed to council in September whena letter to council signed by 12 former Littleton mayors and councilmembers praised the center for its efforts towards diversity and inclusivity.

“Newcomers from around the world are entrepreneurs and have brought a richness of businesses to Littleton, and LIRC has helped make this a more just and equitable community,” the letter reads.

The move to defund the center sparked backlash from community members who urged council to reconsider its decision through letters and public comment hearings. Rydin said when she was campaigning she heard firsthand from residents about how important the LIRC was for the community.

“I heard a lot about this when I was knocking on people’s doors,” she said.