Maine influenza, COVID-19, RSV cases high, but dropping – Spectrum News

Experts at Maines largest healthcare organizations sayinfluenza and other respiratory illnesses are not as bad as the previous flu season, but numbers are still higher than usual.

We are still seeing a significant amount of respiratory illnesses, said Dr. James Jarvis, medical director of clinical education at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.

During the 2022-2023 flu season, experts were alarmed at an usually high spike in cases and hospitalizations that took place in December 2022.

In the current flu season, which began in October 2023, data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows case counts are nowhere near that peak. However, those numbers have been steadily increasing since December 2023.

Maine CDC's latest flu data, released on Tuesday and covering the week ending Jan. 20, shows a slight decline in hospitalization rates and outpatient flu-related health care provider visits compared to early January. In the week ending Jan. 20, Maine CDC recorded 29 flu-related hospitalizations.

Despite the decline, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Chief Health Improvement Officer at MaineHealth, was not prepared to say flu has peaked in Maine.

Were not at that point yet, she said.

Jarvis also said its still a little bit early for us to tell in Maine whether flu is peaking.

There is evidence of a peak in flu season nationwide, he said, but Maine tends to lag the rest of the country regarding influenza, suggesting that the peak may be yet to come.

Mills also noted that its not unusual for Maine to have more than one peak for influenza in a single season.

Both experts noted that hospitalizations for the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, while high, have all declined in recent weeks. Jarvis said he thinks the latter disease might have peaked in Maine for the season.

It looks like the peak for RSV is over, and that tends to be the case we usually see in January, he said.

For COVID-19, Jarvis said cases at Eastern Maine Medical Center have dropped from 15-20 per day in early January to 10-15 per day now.

Mills also noted counts had dropped at MaineHealth facilities, but both she and Jarvis noted that COVID-19 does not have a season or peak the way influenza and RSV do.

COVID hospitalizations tend to correlate more with new variants than with cold weather, so we could have future peaks anytime there is a new variant, she said. The bottom line is to stay updated on COVID vaccines, since the updated vaccines, just like with influenza vaccines, reflect circulating virus strains.

With flu season expected to last until the end of May, Jarvis said, its still a good idea to get an annual flu vaccine, for those who havent done so yet. Updating COVID-19 vaccinations are also a good idea and, for those who are eligible or need it, RSV.

Jarvis also offered the time-honored advice of frequently washing hands, staying home for those who dont feel well, getting tested for COVID-19 if they have respiratory symptoms, staying hydrated and warm, and wearing a mask in public, especially for those who may be particularly vulnerable to respiratory diseases.

Mills said that advice is even more important for those who may be visiting a relative in a long-term care facility.

Hospitals across Maine and much of the country have had ongoing capacity issues, for a variety of reasons, but a major reason is that long term care facilities are not able to take patients needing to be transferred from hospitals because they have staff out sick or residents sick with COVID or influenza, she said.

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Maine influenza, COVID-19, RSV cases high, but dropping - Spectrum News