Flu continues to rise in Tri-Cities, with COVID also ticking up. Many school absences

Two more residents of the Tri-Cities have died of COVID-19, but no deaths from seasonal flu have been confirmed in Benton and Franklin counties, despite a high number of respiratory illnesses in the area.

The prevalence of flu continues to increase in the state, said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, chief science officer for the Washington state Department of Health, at a news briefing.

State health officials reported 40 confirmed deaths from flu so far this season, including three children.

That likely is an under count because each year many flu deaths in the elderly go unreported, Kwan-Gett said.

At the same time the number of new cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is declining in the state, he said.

However, not only does RSV continue to infect some very young children in the Tri-Cities who are at risk of serious cases of the common illness, but there are some elderly people being hospitalized, said Benton Franklin Health District officials.

There also have been more people hospitalized in recent weeks in the state for treatment of COVID, Kwan-Gett said.

But in the Tri-Cities, flu is the “heavy hitter” now among respiratory infections, said Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the Benton Franklin Health District, speaking this week on the Kadlec on Call podcast.

Tri-Cities flu

Flu rates are extremely high, she said. Some schools in Benton and Franklin counties are reporting absentee rates of 20%.

Waits at hospital emergency departments and urgent care clinics continue to be lengthy as respiratory infections surge in the Tri-Cities.

Hospitals are dealing with long-term staff shortages, and in addition have staff out because they have the flu or they need to care for a family member with the flu, Hill said.

They also are short of bed space and have some supply shortages, she said.

Tamiflu, a prescription medicine that can ease flu symptoms if taken early in the illness, is in short supply across the nation, Hill said.

The Tri-Cities based health district is acquiring some Tamiflu with a goal of helping patients who are most at risk of serious illness or death from complications of the flu, such as nursing home residents.

Tri-Cities COVID

Samples of untreated municipal wastewater from Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and West Richland plants continue to show increasing concentrations of genetic material from coronavirus, a sign that COVID-19 is increasing in the Tri-Cities..

Wastewater levels now are as high as they were four months ago when the prevalence of COVID-19 was just starting to decline after a summer peak in cases caused by a new and highly contagious omicron subvariant.

Rates of COVID-19 likely will continue to increase as people gather for the holidays and spread the infection, said Lacy Fahrenbach, the state Department of Health chief of prevention, safety and health.

The two most recent Tri-Cities area COVID-19 deaths were a Franklin County woman in her 80s and a Franklin County man in his 70s.

The Benton Franklin Health District reports recent COVID-19 deaths weekly, usually on Thursdays, after confirming that the person had tested positive for COVID-19 and that COVID-19 was listed as a primary cause of death on their death certificate.

Seven deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the Tri-Cities area this month, bringing total COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic in Benton and Franklin counties to 745.

“The most important thing people can do is vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate,” Hill said.

WA flu vaccine rate

Even if flu and COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent an illness, they make it less likely that people will be ill enough to require hospitalization, Hill said.

More than 2 million doses of flu vaccine have been given in Washington state this year, and the number of doses given per week is increasing, showing that people are taking action based on increasing number of cases in the state, said Michele Roberts, state Department of Health assistant secretary.

About 28% of state residents have been vaccinated against the flu, which is slightly more than in previous years in mid December, she said.

But most of the increase is due to people age 65 and older getting vaccinated, with kids 12 and younger less likely to get vaccinated against the flu than in previous years.

The rate of people getting the new COVID-19 bivalent booster that protects against the omicron variant continues to be much lower than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would like.

Two new CDC studies show that COVID vaccine can significantly reduce the risk of getting hospitalized for COVID-19, it said.

The Department of Health is recommending wearing masks in crowded indoor settings because of the high rate of respiratory illnesses.

However, there is no plan to mandate masks beyond current requirements for masks in health care settings.