Triangle hospitals report fewer COVID, flu, RSV patients, but we’re not in the clear yet – WRAL News

WRAL News checked in with UNC, Duke and WakeMed hospitals about their latest numbers, and all reported a decrease in overall COVID, flu and RSV cases.

Emergency room visits for all respiratory viruses continues to drop for fourth consecutive week, now making up just 11% of all visits. Flu hospitalizations went down, nowmakingup 2% of all ER visits compared to its peak in late December when it made up 5%.RSV makes up the lowest of all current respiratory cases (just 0.5% of all ER visits).

COVID hospital admissions went up slightly, with 737 patients statewide compared to 702 a week ago, and 25.6 million more COVID-19 virus particles were found in wastewater compared to last week.

At WakeMed on Wednesday, less than 80 people are hospitalized for COVID, flu and RSV combined. WakeMed currently has 63 COVID-19 hospitalizations, the highest out of the three hospitals but down from 67 last month.

UNC Health is reporting 33 COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 30 last month, and Duke Health is reporting 30 COVID-19 hospitalizations this week compared to 45 last month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the peak of the season may be over, but virus levels are still up.

Dr. Daniel Park, who leads the pediatric emergency department at UNC Medical Center, told WRAL News hospital capacity is still a concern, and were not yet out of the woods.

"The numbers have started to come down, which is encouraging, but we are still experiencing capacity concerns from time to time," Park said.

According to Park, one of the easiest ways to slow the spread of these illnesses is keeping children at home if they have a fever. Children should be fever-free for at least 24 hours before you send them back to school.

North Carolina's flu season runs from October until May. In late January, Dr. Cameron Wolfe, infectious disease specialist at Duke Health, said the hospitals were slightly less strained but shared a word of caution.

"I want to be cautious and say were not out of the woods yet but certainly less busy than it was a fortnight ago," Wolfe said. "Suddenly you get this wash of respiratory viral infections ... surgeries get delayed, ED admissions get delayed, people cant get out to their nursing homes and rehabs as quickly. All of those things, unfortunately, take place in the middle of winter, and I think were starting to see that just start to relax a little bit, which is great news.

WRAL data trackers looked back at five years of pre-COVID flu data and determined the average number of deaths per flu season in North Carolina is 211. Historically, the majority of deaths occur late in the season, in February or March.

"Its very typical for us to get a light rise in influenza-B cases that can sometimes be as late as March or even April," Wolfe said. "So I dont think were through all of that yet by any means."

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"Demand has slightly decreased for the flu and COVID vaccines, but demand has remained steady for the RSV and pneumonia vaccines," said CVS Regional Director Gaurang Trivedi

The demand for COVID-19 vaccines is greatest in the 65 and older age group.

Park said there have been high rates of children with respiratory illnesses like RSV and the flu in hospitals.

Hospital's visitation precautions ask for children experiencing active symptoms to not come to the hospital unless they are experiencing worsen symptoms such as difficulty breathing and high fever.

According to the CDC, you cant tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by the symptoms alone. Specific testing is needed to tell what the illness is and confirm a diagnosis.

Adults should see their doctor if they experience any of the following:

Children should see a doctor if they experience:

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Triangle hospitals report fewer COVID, flu, RSV patients, but we're not in the clear yet - WRAL News