CDC reports high respiratory illness activity

HAYS COUNTY — While they are decreasing in some parts of the country, rates of COVID-19-, flu- and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)- related hospitalizations still remain elevated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And for the state of Texas as a whole, the respiratory illness level is reported as being very high.

Across the state, the weekly percentage of total emergency department visits associated with COVID-19, the flu and RSV was 9.3% for the week ending on Saturday, Feb. 3, and 7.6% for the week ending on Saturday, Feb. 10, according to CDC data. In Hays County, that number is slightly lower with it being 7.6% for the week ending on Feb. 3 and 6.7% for the week ending on Feb. 10.

Dr. Eric Spencer, a family medicine doctor at Baylor Scott & White, said that it’s been a mixed picture of various viral illnesses that people have been getting sick with recently — and oftentimes, the symptoms can overlap.

“I feel like since the beginning of December, every single person I talked to has said that they've been sick with something. Starting at the beginning of December, we saw a spike in a lot of the allergy counts. I was seeing a lot of that, and still am, especially with weather changes,” he explained. “Then after the Thanksgiving holiday and into December, I started seeing more of the viral illnesses: COVID, flu, RSV and all the other viruses that we've had. We still continue to see a lot of those at this time.”

As several people have been getting sick with the flu recently, Dr. Spencer explained that it’s cyclical around the country when it’s designated flu season with an increase in cases.

“You see that spike in the late fall, early winter, and then things kind of persist for a couple of months and then decrease as we start to enter the spring. In Texas, a little anecdotally, we see some of the flu and viral things extend a little bit more into the spring than some other parts of the country,” he said. “It tends to be during the colder kind of winter months when people are staying indoors more, they're closer together [and] maybe not doing as much of the outdoor activities as they usually do. [They are] sharing more of that space in that area together.”

Dr. Spencer recommended that any time a patient, or a parent of a young child, is concerned for their health when they are sick with COVID-19, flu, RSV or any other illness, they need to see a doctor.

“If there's something, you know, that they're worried about, they should come see their provider. The other thing I'd recommend is being seen earlier rather than later because for things like COVID or the flu, we have treatments for that. But they have to be started within a certain timeframe,” he said. “If you come in and it's after that timeframe, I can't really do much else for you except try to treat your symptoms.”

“We have a lot of vulnerable patients, whether they're older with a lot of other medical issues or they're younger and susceptible to severe illness, hospitalization, etc. There are a lot of different vaccines. COVID, flu [and] new this season is an RSV vaccine for older adults, 60 and older, and there's also a new RSV treatment for babies,” Dr. Spencer continued. “That treatment has been pretty hard to find, though, because of shortages and supply issues. Those are really important.”

Dr. Spencer said that ultimately, it’s important to do whatever possible to protect one’s health.

Precautions include: regular handwashing; covering mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing; avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth; avoiding sharing personal items (drinks, food, unwashed utensils, etc.); ensuring that family members and children are up-to-date on their vaccines; and staying home when sick. Having children stay home when they are sick is key to help make sure that their classmates, and teachers, stay healthy.

“We want to keep kids in school, so keeping them healthy is important … I think teachers and staff can encourage, if someone is coughing a lot or running a fever, having the parents come and pick them up and take them home,” he said. “Hand washing regularly, especially around lunchtime, or times when people are going to be close together, I think that’s the best place to start.”

To learn more about respiratory viruses, visit www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/index.html.