Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — As cold weather is setting in, Utah is also seeing the usual increase in respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV. For the first time, Utahns can track the status of all three of these viruses with the help of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services website.
The state health department's dashboard shows the number of emergency room visits for each of these illnesses is still lower than it was one year ago, but health experts expect the numbers to continue to rise as winter advances.
Josh Benton, an epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Heath and Human Services, said there are a few things one can do to reduce the risk of illness during winter, which is a higher transmission period for these diseases. The biggest message is for people to stay home when they are sick, he said. Other steps include covering coughs, washing hands and getting vaccinations.
Benton said the health department's dashboard has information that can help people decide how careful they should be — including syndromic surveillance, which is reported for all three diseases on the overview page and shows emergency room visits that indicate severe disease.
Right now, the dashboard is reporting that the average daily emergency room visits for COVID-19 over the last seven days is just over 77; a year ago the number was near its peak of 139 daily emergency room visits, although temperatures got colder earlier in 2022.
Average daily emergency room visits for influenza are currently between 40 and 50 over the last few reported days and the flu is trending upward more significantly than the other two respiratory illnesses. A year ago, emergency visits for the flu were between 150 and 160, on its way to a peak of 210.
Of the three illnesses, the fewest emergency room visits are related to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, with an average of over 10 daily visits over a week. Last year, RSV was at its peak for emergency room visits around this time with a weekly average of 116 visits a day.
Benton said other important data to consider are wastewater tests, which can show increases in disease spread earlier but are only available for COVID-19. Hospitalizations can indicate even more severe disease, he said.
"We get really good data on those all the time, even if we're not getting good case counts," Benton said.
Right now, the state health department is reporting that 82.9% of wastewater sites show elevated levels of COVID-19; all other sites are either labeled "watch" or insufficient data — none are reporting low. Out of all of the sites, 34.3% show COVID-19 levels are increasing and 51.4% show a plateau. The others do not have enough data.
Around this time last year, about 10% of deaths listed the flu, influenza or COVID-19 as an underlying or contributing cause of death. This percentage has increased over the last few weeks this year, from 4-5% to 8-9%.
Benton said even though illnesses are trending upward, it is not too late to get vaccinated. Vaccines are available for all of these illnesses, although the RSV vaccine is limited to those over age 65 or women who are pregnant.
"That's one of the best ways you can protect yourself," he said.
Benton said vaccinations and added immunity to COVID-19 may be one of the reasons the disease this year is so far better than the same time last year, but immunity decreases over time and Benton encourages people who have not gotten vaccinated recently to get vaccinations.
There are no longer large clinics run by the health department, but Benton said doctors' offices and pharmacies often have COVID-19 vaccines available and there are programs available at those locations to help people who are uninsured or low-income get the vaccinations at no cost. The vaccines are available to children for free.
Right now the highest number of flu cases per 100,000 population is in central Utah; the highest rate of COVID-19 cases is in San Juan County and the Nephi area.
Although data for influenza and RSV has been available through the health department during previous years, this is the first year that data has been included in the dashboard with COVID-19, where it is easily available to people who are looking for information.
