![]() ![]() Health experts said that while they certainly expect an uptick in COVID cases this winter, it’s less clear what hospital admissions will look like. COVID: If the last two years are any indication, COVID infections tend to creep up soon after Halloween. So far this season, five residents have died of the flu, according to the state’s latest surveillance report published Friday.ģ. The California Department of Public Health tallied 329 deaths, though that’s likely a severe undercount because providers were only required to report deaths for people under 65 and most flu-related deaths are among seniors. About 61,000 people died from the flu nationwide, according to the CDC. That’s a higher rate than the state recorded during the same week of the 2017-18 flu season, which peaked in late December with a 41% positivity rate.ĭuring that flu season, some hospitals were so overwhelmed they had to treat patients in tents and hire temporary staff from out of state. In the third week of October, 6.6% of flu tests came back positive. More flu earlier in the year usually means a more severe season. Flu: Influenza surveillance data reported by the state starting the first week of October shows flu cases trending up earlier compared to the last five years. John Mourani, medical director of infectious disease at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center: “School got disrupted, we were social distancing and that means immunity goes down.”Ģ. Providers say the uptick could be due to the fact that children were less exposed to the normal circulation of respiratory viruses over the last two years due to such pandemic restrictions as school closures and mask mandates. ![]() RSV: The state’s surveillance shows that 15.3% of specimens tested in the third week of October came back positive for RSV, up from 9.8% during the same period last year. Ibarra takes a closer look at where California stands on the RSV, flu and COVID fronts:ġ. San Diego health officials warned last week that “a sharp increase of flu and RSV cases” could have “a severe impact on people’s lives and the county’s medical resources this fall and winter.” At one point in October, about 1,000 of 2,600 students at a local high school were absent due to an outbreak of respiratory illnesses.ĬalMatters health reporter Ana B. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Early phases of RSV can present flu-like symptoms, and young children and seniors are most at risk of complications, according to the U.S.Orange County on Monday declared a local public health emergency over RSV, a common cause of pneumonia in babies that’s contributed to a record number of pediatric hospitalizations and daily emergency room visits in the county. Forget “ twindemic” - California may be in for a three-headed Cerberus of respiratory illnesses this winter as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 collide. ![]()
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