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Health officials discuss rising respiratory illnesses in county and state

By: Amber McIver-Traywick | The Surveyor | November 23, 2022 | Health & Fitness

Health officials provided a community update at the county and state level on the current increase in respiratory illnesses including influenza, RSV and COVID-19 and encouraged residents to take extra caution in the coming months.

During a virtual public update Tuesday, Nov. 15, Larimer County Director of Public Health Tom Gonzales stated that Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis had signed an executive order amending and extending the current COVID-19 disaster declaration to include RSV, influenza and other respiratory illnesses to help continue to give counties access to state and federal funding for recovery efforts and support the healthcare system.

Gonzalez stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic health officials “promised the community to alert them when an illness was stretching the capacity of our Larimer County hospitals,” he continued saying,  “We are currently seeing COVID-19, RSV, and influenza hospitalizations increasing and we are asking residents to take action to prevent these illnesses from spreading in the community.”

Regional epidemiologist Matt Bower also spoke during the update explaining the marked increase in the number of respiratory illnesses being reported. Bower said LCDHE was actively monitoring 30 reports of outbreaks or increased respiratory activity in a community setting. 91% of the outbreaks were in childcare or school setting, 45% were RSV only, 15% were influenza only, 5% were COVID-19 only with 15% having multiple illnesses. Bower said that the dramatic number of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases in children is an anomaly and that the majority of pediatric hospitalizations are currently due to this virus and flu.

Larimer County Medical Officer Paul Mayer stated during the meeting that “If you do get sick, we really want you to call your medical provider for guidance. The ERs and urgent cares are really getting overwhelmed at this point in time, so your first point of contact should be your primary care provider.”

During a press conference Monday State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said the positivity rate for RSV is approaching 25% with no signs of slowing down. CDPHE said as of Oct. 1, there have been 164 hospitalizations statewide for Influenza and 895 for RSV in the five-county Denver metro area. Influenza hospitalizations have primarily affected adults, while the majority of RSV hospitalizations, 93%, have been among the pediatric population.

According to the CDC RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States. Symptoms of the virus include runny nose, fever, sneezing, coughing, decreased appetite and poor feeding.

According to information provided by the Cleveland Clinic RSV previously followed a predictable timeline: As the calendar flipped to fall and winter months, healthcare providers in much of the United States would begin seeing people with the telltale wheeze of the respiratory virus. That changed in 2020, when RSV almost completely disappeared as COVID-19 restrictions kept people masked or at home. But when restrictions lifted in 2021 and people started going out more, RSV roared back with a summer outbreak this year and has continued into the fall and winter.

Due to the high number of pediatric hospitalizations, CDPHE is coordinating with hospitals statewide to use all available pediatric ICU beds, and doing outreach with K-12 schools, preschools, and daycare centers to ensure they have information on resources and mitigation strategies for RSV and other infectious diseases.

Additionally, Colorado currently has a 12.38% positivity rate for COVID. Larimer County as of Monday had a 12% positivity rate and is currently considered at a medium risk at the community level with six hospitalizations.

Health officials recommend the following to help stop the spread of infection: stay home if you are sick, get tested for COVID, get vaccinated against flu and COVID, seek treatment if you do test positive for COVID, practice good hand hygiene and improve ventilation by opening windows and doors, if possible, in your home and place of work.

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