Respiratory viruses are spreading in Virginia, sending more people to the hospital. The state health department considers influenza activity “very high” and emergency department visits for COVID-19 have risen for six straight weeks.
But there’s good news: COVID hospitalizations are lower than in each of the past three Januarys, and the flu’s trajectory has resembled previous years. It’s nothing out of the ordinary.
“We’re in the middle of respiratory season,” said Heather Harmon-Sloan, the COVID-19 unit lead for the Virginia Department of Health. “It is expected for us to see these increases. We knew they were going to come.”
About 5% of hospital beds last week were devoted to patients with COVID. That number is considered “moderate” and is significantly higher than the 1% Virginia hospitals experienced in August.
Several hospitals in the Richmond area saw their volumes increase during December, according to data compiled by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. St. Mary’s adult inpatient beds were 90% full the second week of December. Chippenham and Johnston-Willis stood at 84% the third week of December.
Other hospitals have room to spare, and some saw their patient loads decrease in December. Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center’s adult inpatient beds were at capacity in November but lessened to 95% two weeks ago.
During the week of Dec. 17, VCU Health admitted 49 new patients with influenza, five times more than it admitted three weeks prior. Chippenham and Johnston-Willis admitted 11 patients for flu that week.
Emergency rooms in Virginia are crowded, but they're probably not at record volumes, said Dr. Todd Parker of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians. It's typical for ERs to get crammed for a month or so each flu season.
A child in eastern Virginia recently became the first in the state to die from influenza this season. The child was somewhere between the ages of 5 and 12, the state health department said. Typically, flu claims the life of two to six children under the age of 18 in Virginia each year. Those most at risk for flu include people 65 and older, people with certain medical conditions, pregnant women and children under the age of 5.
Models suggest that flu hospital admissions will continue to rise until mid-January.
COVID is also sending more people to the hospital. Last week, there were 9.8 hospital admissions for every 100,000 residents. That number, which has doubled since Thanksgiving, is still considered “low” but will reach “medium” status if the state reaches 10 admissions for every 100,000 residents.
The CDC forecasts COVID hospitalizations will level off in the weeks to come. COVID deaths remain low in the state, but deaths tend to increase weeks after hospitalizations.
COVID is a greater threat for people over 50, those with weakened immune systems, the unvaccinated, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions.
Other viruses are also swirling. Norovirus is increasing. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is high but has declined in recent weeks and may have peaked. RSV is a concern for infants and young children and older adults, especially adults with underlying conditions and those who live in long-term care facilities.
Vaccination rates remains low in Virginia. About 12% of residents have received an updated COVID vaccine for the 2023-24 season. About 30% got a flu shot.
Both vaccines are still available and helpful, Harmon-Sloan said. The new COVID vaccine targets the JN.1 variant, which is the primary variant spreading here. The flu shot targets the H1N1 variant, which is the most common strain of the flu this year.
There are resources for those feeling ill. A federal program called Home Test to Treat offers free testing and telehealth appointments for eligible patients. COVID tests can be ordered for free at Covidtests.org.
Harmon-Sloan recommended people stay home when they’re sick, wash their hands and practice respiratory etiquette. She urged people to not delay seeing the doctor when they feel ill. Some antiviral medicines, such as Tamiflu and Paxlovid, are useful only in the days immediately following a viral infection.
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The prevalence of flu this season (orange line) has accelerated. The trajectory is similar to what Virginia experienced in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 flu seasons.
The flu vaccine works by injecting antibodies from the virus to alleviate symptoms if someone were to contract the virus, similar to the COVID-19 vaccines. While the vaccine does not eliminate the ability to get sick, it lowers the risk of severe symptoms and hospitalization.