COVID, the flu and RSV: What to know for the upcoming holidays in Buncombe, NC
ASHEVILLE — As the holidays approach, 401 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Buncombe County in the last two reported weeks, according to data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Three people have died.
COVID-19 cases have, on the whole, been declining across the county since January, in line with most places, according to the data. In one week that month, the state DHHS reported more than 4,200 positive cases and 20 deaths. Cases ticked up again momentarily in May – though nowhere near that level, with 828 reported cases at the highest week that month – but have been going down.
“The current case rate is 75 per 100,000,” a drop from 91 per 100,000 on Oct. 14, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders said in an email Nov. 1.
In total, there have been 65,900 reported cases in Buncombe County and 650 deaths.
At press time, no counties in North Carolina present a high risk of illness and strain on the health care system, according to the DHHS.
While COVID-19 has stayed around the same low number for the last several weeks, the flu and other respiratory illnesses swung up in October statewide. Other data from the North Carolina DHHS says that hospitals reported 147 positive influenza tests on the week of Oct. 8, then 371 Oct. 15, then 849 Oct. 22. There was one flu-related death in that time frame.
“Currently, North Carolina is seeing an increase in illnesses caused by respiratory viruses other than COVID-19,” Saunders said. “The surge in illness in North Carolina is being caused by several different viruses, including rhinoviruses (responsible for most cold-like illnesses), enteroviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza.”
Though the flu and COVID-19 are more familiar, RSV is raising alarms. On Nov. 1, the New York Times reported that RSV – which poses a greater threat to pregnant women, immunocompromised people and elderly people – has filled up hospitals earlier than usual.
“RSV can also cause more severe infections such as bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung, and pneumonia, an infection of the lungs,” the CDC notes. “It is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1 year of age.”
As families plan to get together for the holidays, recent traditions might be worth remembering, Saunders said.
“Remember that some of the same precautions that we use to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as social distancing and wearing a mask can help to reduce the spread of other illnesses currently circulating in our community,” she said.
Ryan Oehrli is the Public Safety Reporter for the Citizen Times. Send tips to coehrli@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: COVID, flu, RSV numbers: What you need to know for the holidays
