MINNEAPOLIS — The latest statewide report on viral respiratory illnesses from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) indicates that the slow start to influenza, RSV and COVID seasons are beginning to pick up just as the holidays get underway.
"It's sort of like it's a slow hill, but we're just starting to see that place where we're starting to see that shift into a higher gear," said Dr. Jill Foster, a pediatric infectious diseases physician with the University of Minnesota Medical School and M Health Fairview.
Dr. Foster says that makes it a much different start to the season than last year. Leaders from all of the state's healthcare systems came together for a rare news conference in 2022, to voice concerns about RSV and flu cases filling local ER's prior to Thanksgiving.
"You know, last year was a record setting year in terms of RSV admissions," said Kathy Como-Sabetti, Epidemiology Manager for MDH’s Emerging Infections Group. "This year it is high but it is pretty comparable to what it looked like in years prior to the pandemic.”
But Como-Sabetti says that also likely means RSV will stick around for several more weeks as influenza and COVID pick up.
"We're seeing multiple cases of RSV, flu and COVID every day in the clinic, which a small percentage of those end up in the ER or hospitalized, so we're seeing tons in the outpatient setting," said Dr. Liz Placzek, a pediatrician at Children’s Minnesota.
Dr. Placzek says that means nobody should be letting their guards down, especially with 11 new reports of influenza-like outbreaks at Minnesota schools this week.
"Last week and this week we're starting to see more flu cases come into the clinic and this week especially, more exposures to flu, more exposures to COVID or RSV," Dr. Placzej said.
The newest statewide wastewater report released this week also showed a more than 30% jump in COVID detected.
"I think the thing with COVID, the difficult thing is, we haven't had a lot of experience post-pandemic COVID, so we don't know if there is going to be seasonal waxes and wanes kind of what that trajectory will look like," said Como-Sabetti.
In terms of the flu, if you look at the CDC's nationwide transmission map from this time last year compared to now, it certainly looks like more families will have the green light.
"The one piece that is a little bit hopeful is the strain of flu that we're seeing right now is an H1N1 strain, which generally does not lead to as much morbidity among the elderly population, which is more likely to be hospitalized," said Como-Sabetti.
Erdahl: What would you say in terms of where we stand now, versus a year ago?
Dr. Foster: Generally, what I'm telling people is that when they want to get together with their families, I wouldn't change a whole lot. The biggest thing is, don't go if you're sick. If you see other people who are sick, kind of call them out a little bit and anybody who thinks they might be sick should take a test.
If you want to up your odds of staying healthy, all three experts suggest taking extra precaution, such as masking, in airports or other big gathering spaces while you travel or shop prior to gatherings. If you haven't gotten a flu or COVID vaccine recently they also say you should consider one — soon — because it can take a week or two before you're fully protected.
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