Respiratory illness season fades in Grant County
Apr. 17—MOSES LAKE — With the arrival of spring the most severe phase of the 2024-25 respiratory illness has officially come to an end, according to the Grant County Health District.
"Since March 2025, emergency department visits in Grant County related to COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have remained below thresholds set by the health officers in our region," GCHD officials wrote in a press release Tuesday. "Other indicators show that respiratory virus activity is continuing to decline."
The flu caused the most trouble in 2024-25, with the highest rate of hospitalization nationally since 2010-11. Hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 were lower than all previous seasons since the disease first appeared on the scene in 2019.
"This season peaked in early February, when 13% of all emergency department visits were related to RSV, flu or COVID-19," the press release said. "Since the season began GCHD has responded to 12 flu outbreaks in schools and long-term care facilities, and five COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities."
Healthcare professionals are not required to report respiratory illnesses except for COVID-19 at a healthcare facility, it said, but many healthcare facilities share their observations with GCHD.
There have been four flu-related deaths during the current flu season. No COVID-19-related deaths were reported, it said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mobile clinics aim to boost rural health care measles vaccinations amid outbreak
The "Wellness on Wheels" program launched in spring of 2024. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department of Health) The South Dakota Department of Health plans to send its fledgling mobile clinics to underserved and undervaccinated areas of the state in response to the nationwide measles outbreak making its way to the state. Last year, South Dakota reported its first measles case in nine years. The state Department of Health recently reported the state's first case this year in Meade County in western South Dakota. Last week, on Friday, a second case was reported in Rapid City. People who visited Sam's Club in that city on June 1, or Dakota Premier Medical Center the following day were urged by the department to monitor themselves for symptoms for 21 days. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through the air. Those who lack immunity from vaccination or past infection are highly likely to catch it from an infected person. As surrounding states report more cases, Health Department Secretary Melissa Magstadt said the state's 'Wellness on Wheels' clinics can help encourage vaccinations. 'I question it myself': South Dakota vaccination rates fall amid mistrust and misinformation The fleet boasts five vehicles equipped to provide immunizations, test for sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, as well as provide screenings, prenatal care and other support. The effort fills in gaps to public health care access across the state, especially in rural and tribal communities, Magstadt said. 'It's about how we can actively use these tools to reach underserved populations,' Magstadt said. 'It's not something I would have thought about looking to leverage for something like measles vaccinations before.' The department hasn't decided where to send their fleet. Counties with the fewest kindergarteners vaccinated per capita for measles, mumps and rubella include Faulk, Jones and Hutchinson, state data shows. South Dakota counties that share tribal land and rural counties in south-central areas of the state rank the worst for clinical care use and access in the state, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute's 2023 report. Federal COVID relief funds paid for Wellness on Wheels. 'Because of the pandemic, public health infrastructure was found to be wanting,' Magstadt said. That infrastructure missed 'critical pieces' that hadn't been invested in, she said, such as health care access in rural areas. More than a hundred rural hospitals in the U.S. have closed in the last decade. The program, launched in April of last year, cost about $800,000 in federal funding. The state's public health COVID funding was also used to support a community health worker program, update emergency medical service equipment and telemedicine access, analyze the state of emergency medical services in South Dakota, and build a Public Health Lab and department training center. Magstadt said staff working with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program requested the mobile units. WIC is a federal-state program that provides healthy food, nutrition education and health care referrals to low-income women and their young children. So far, Wellness on Wheels staff have mainly driven to events. Magstadt said the department has focused on increasing awareness of the program and building trust in communities and among tribal leaders. She plans to have staff drive the buses to rural communities more regularly to increase exposure and encourage use. 'Being consistently at a facility or place every other week will help people find it,' Magstadt said. 'We talk about the importance of STI testing, for example, but if you don't know where to get tested then that's another barrier.' Magstadt plans to have the department park one of the vehicles at a homeless shelter in Rapid City this summer as well to encourage underserved urban communities to seek services. 'We like people to be connected to primary care services, but there are unique situations where it's harder to get to health care facilities,' Magstadt said. She compared the mobile clinics as a return to home visits by doctors. That practice largely ceased in the 1960s due to cost efficiencies. 'It's a part of this menu of health care access and options no longer requiring people to come to a clinic or health care system,' Magstadt said, 'but health care being taken to patients and families who need it.' Mobile health care clinics are available in every state. They range from public entities like South Dakota's Wellness on Wheels, to specialized, private care. Other mobile clinics operating in South Dakota, according to Mobile Health Map, include: Delta Dental Mobile Program Horizon Health on Wheels Midwest Street Medicine Mobile Women's Health Unit VA Mobile Counseling Program
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
A New COVID Variant Is Here, And It's More Transmissible — Here Are The Signs And Symptoms
A new COVID variant known as NB.1.8.1 has made landfall in the United States. The variant, which was first detected in China this past January, currently accounts for 10% of the SARS-CoV-2 sequences tested from around the world, recent surveillance data found. That's a significant jump from 2.5% four weeks ago. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesperson told HuffPost that the agency is in regular contact with international partners about the activity of NB.1.8.1. To date, only 20 NB.1.8.1 sequences have been identified in the U.S. — that's below the threshold needed for a variant to appear on the agency's COVID dashboard. (As soon as its prevalence increases, NB.1.8.1 will pop up on the tracker, the spokesperson added.) It's nerve-wracking to hear that a new variant is making the rounds, but infectious disease specialists say there are no glaring differences between the symptoms of NB.1.8.1 and those caused by other versions of SARS-CoV-2. 'Currently it appears that NB.1.8.1 would have similar symptoms to other COVID variants that have recently been circulating,' Dr. Zachary Hoy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Pediatrix Medical Group in Nashville, Tennessee, told HuffPost. Here's what to know about the newest COVID variant that's gaining traction around the world. Compared to the currently dominant variant in the U.S. (LP.8.1), NB.1.8.1 has a handful of new mutations on the spike protein that may enhance its ability to bind to our cells, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency suspects these mutations will increase the virus's transmissibility and, potentially, diminish the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies that prevent pathogens from latching to our cells. In other words, the variant may be skilled at dodging some of our immune defenses, research suggests. According to Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, NB.1.8.1's symptoms are pretty much the same as those seen with other SARS-CoV-2 variants. Two of COVID's hallmark symptoms are a mild but persistent dry cough and nasal congestion, Hoy said. Many people who come down with COVID are also hit with fatigue and tiredness. 'An infected person can still make it through the day, but they are resting more and feel more tired throughout the day,' Hoy said. Other common symptoms include a fever, chills, a sore throat and muscle aches. 'Some have described recent variants as less intense symptoms as compared to wintertime influenza viruses, but both can have severe symptoms,' Hoy said. There's no evidence suggesting the variant causes more severe disease or an uptick in hospitalizations or deaths, the WHO states. The only noticeable aspect, as of now, is that it's rising in prevalence, Adalja said. It's too early to know exactly how effective the shots are — as the research on NB.1.8.1 is limited since it's so new — but scientists expect the shots to hold up well. NB.1.8.1 broke off from the Omicron JN.1 lineage, which the 2024-2025 vaccines target. 'The ability of the vaccines to prevent severe illness is intact though protection versus infection is limited and transient,' Adalja said. Anyone who is at risk of severe disease should stay up-to-date with the shots. 'Those in older populations or with underlying immune disorders or on immune-decreasing medications would benefit more from vaccination or those with increased exposure such as healthcare workers,' Hoy added. So if you have a condition that puts you at risk, it's worth getting vaccinated if it's been more than six months since your last vaccine or bout of COVID, Adalja advises. He also added that those who are low-risk likely do not need to go out and get another shot. Most people will be able to recover at home by resting and staying hydrated. While you're sick, acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help alleviate muscle aches and fevers, Hoy said. And, in most cases, symptoms should clear up within a week. For those who are at risk for severe disease, including older adults and people who are immune-compromised, it's worth contacting a physician as they can prescribe antivirals — Paxlovid and Molnupiravir — that can significantly lower the risk of severe complications and death. As was the case with previous variants, these antivirals work best when started within five days of symptom onset. As for when you should go to an urgent care or emergency room? When you have chest pain, have a hard time waking up or staying awake, or feel confused and disoriented, the CDC advises. Hoy says the most concerning symptom he warns patients about is difficulty breathing. 'If you have COVID or COVID-like illness and have worsening trouble breathing or chest pain, you should be evaluated at your doctor's office, urgent care or the ER,' he said. RFK Jr. Says COVID Shot Will No Longer Be Advised For Healthy Kids, Pregnant Women Trump's FDA Has Axed COVID Boosters For Most People — And Medical Experts Are Deeply Worried New Trump Vaccine Policy Limits Access To COVID Shots
Epoch Times
8 hours ago
- Epoch Times
China's COVID-19 Infections Jumped by 160 Percent in May
COVID-19 cases in China increased more than 160 percent in May, according to the latest official data from the Chinese communist regime. But Chinese residents across the country continue to report to The Epoch Times and on social media that they believe the situation is more serious than what authorities have acknowledged. The Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) released its national COVID-19 epidemic data for May on June 5, reporting 440,662 cases, including 606 severe cases and seven deaths, soaring above April's 168,507 cases, 340 severe cases, and nine deaths.
