Being well within the winter season also means being in the middle of the respiratory illness viral season, bringing increased cases of COVID-19 and influenza both across the country and locally.
According to an article from KFF Health News, there has been a sharp increase nationally in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) since mid-December, with the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 rapidly spreading.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the JN.1 variant is projected to represent over 61% of the COVID-19 cases in the two weeks ending Jan. 6.
Current vaccines, rapid tests, and medical treatment are still effective with this variant.
Locally, Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease specialist at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, said that Cottage “can certainly feel what the community is feeling” with an increase in COVID-19 and influenza cases.
She said that there was a fair amount of RSV infections throughout Santa Barbara County over the last couple months, but there may be some indications that RSV rates are now decreasing.
“Unfortunately, we’re in for a rocky few weeks in our community with influenza and with COVID-19,” Fitzgibbons told Noozhawk. “I think it’s still very important to remember that influenza and COVID are circulating in our community right now and are causing a lot of people to be feeling badly, missing school, missing work, and, unfortunately, being hospitalized.”
Fitzgibbons said that the number of cases and hospitalizations this year is lower than last year, though.
According to Fitzgibbons, there were 109 patients admitted with a COVID-19 diagnosis over the month of December in 2022, and in December 2023, there were just 50 patients admitted with COVID-19.
“Fewer people are seeking formal COVID tests each year, so not [all cases] are being captured this year,” Fitzgibbons added.
She also said that the timing of surges could be different this year, but COVID-19 hospitalizations in the first week of January have stayed at a moderate level. Additionally, she said that in the last couple years, there have been both late summer surges and winter surges of COVID-19.
According to the county’s most recent respiratory viruses report with data as of Dec. 30, 2023, Santa Barbara County saw minimal influenza activity in the last week of the year — meaning the percentage of positive specimens tested for flu was less than 2%. Of the 9,078 patients local hospital emergency departments saw in the last three weeks of 2023, 879 were diagnosed with flu-like illness.
The report also said that there have been 42 confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate settings throughout the county this season, and wastewater surveillance shows that COVID-19 levels were high in Goleta and Lompoc. COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county have remained relatively low.
Finally, the respiratory viruses report added that as of Dec. 9, 2023, there have been two outbreaks of RSV reported in the county this season.
Fitzgibbons is reminding community members that it’s not too late to get the most recent COVID-19 and flu vaccines, and people at risk of severe disease who are going to be around others should consider wearing a mask.
“We know that one of the most important things we can do for one another is to stay home when we don’t feel well, to not tough it out and keep interacting with people, but to do what you can to take care of your own health,” Fitzgibbons said. “Of course, basics that every 5-year-old in our community knows — excellent hand hygiene and covering our coughs and sneezes go a long way.”
Information on authorized at-home COVID-19 tests and where to find their expiration dates or extended expiration dates can be found on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website here.