This flu season has been one of the worst in the past decade, claiming nearly 97 lives and showing only a small chance of stopping anytime soon, according to the CDC’s Feb. 23 FluView update.
To see how virtual healthcare has been affected by the 2017-18 flu season, HealthTap analyzed its data and drew comparisons to the 2016-17 flu season.
Here are three things to know.
1. The ratio of virtual consults for flu-like symptoms among HealthTap users (15 percent) was double that of in-person physician visits among the general population (7.7 percent).
2. HealthTap noted a 30 percent increase in the ratio of virtual consults among its users for flu-like symptoms this year (14.8 percent) compared to last year (11.4 percent).
3. The ratio of flu-related virtual consults resulting in an antiviral prescription for flu treatment increased from 0.3 percent in 2016-17 to 1.8 percent in 2017-18.
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