The 2017-2018 influenza epidemic is sending people to hospitals and urgent-care centers in every state, and medical centers are responding with extraordinary measures: asking staff to work overtime, setting up triage tents, restricting friends and family visits and canceling elective surgeries, to name a few. Tallia says his hospital is âmanaging, but just barely,â at keeping up with the increased number of sick patients in the last three weeks. The hospitalâs urgent-care centers have also been inundated, and its outpatient clinics have no appointments available.