AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the year winds down, respiratory illness activity tends to rev up. But how are conditions looking here in Texas?
"This is prime time respiratory season here in Travis County, and so it's kind of like December and January when everything peaks," said Rannon Ching, president and chief pharmacy officer at Tarrytown Pharmacy.
The Texas Department of State Health Services' respiratory virus surveillance report tracks seasonal ebbs and flows of respiratory illnesses like the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Texas DSHS also operates a respiratory illness dashboard tracking trends related to emergency visits, hospitalizations and deaths linked to COVID-19, the flu and RSV.
In the influenza season to date, data released Dec. 13 found a flu season positivity rate of 3.67% statewide. Comparatively, during the same timeframe last year, the seasonal influenza positivity rate was reported at 7.86%, as of reporting released Dec. 15, 2023.
Both this December and last December's data marked a noticeably lower seasonal positivity rate, when comparing past mid-December reporting periods. The seasonal influenza positivity rate was 23.99%, as of Dec. 16, 2022.
On the COVID-19 front, reporting from Dec. 13 revealed DSHS saw 504 new probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases this week compared to the previous one up 47.9%.
In the same time period last December, there were 1,130 additional new and probable COVID-19 cases on Dec. 11, 2023 — up 9.8% from the previous week. Historic data prior to May 11, 2023 was classified and reported on in a different format, making week-by-week comparisons more convoluted.
That's not to say that this year will be a mild respiratory illness season, Ching said. When looking at past peak illness periods, he added January tends to be one of the worst in Travis County for COVID-19.
"Even though things are kind of mild right now, we're always kind of at the ready for whenever those times hit," he said. "Because usually when it happens, it happens fast, and it happens pretty widespread."
With so many people gathering now for the holiday festivities, Ching said it's important for people to try and get as much sleep as possible and to eat plenty of Vitamin C or take some immune boosters if they are feeling a bit under the weather. As with all viral illnesses, frequently washing your hands, covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze and keeping your distance if you are sick. He added people can also wear a mask to protect themselves and their loved ones.
