Respiratory-virus activity ticks up a bit, but hospital admissions fall; flu remains driver for respiratory admissions, ER visits in Ky.

State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The state Department for Public Health says respiratory virus activity ticked up a bit in Kentucky in the last week of March, but remained at a relatively low level, while hospitalizations for respiratory disease declined but remained at a level that the department considers moderate. 

In the week ended March 30, emergency-room visits for influenza, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) increased almost 5% to 1,796. Of those, 1,508 were for the flu. 

But in that same week, hospital admissions for the diseases dropped 19%, to 233.  Of those, 135 were for flu, 85 were for Covid-19 and 13 were for RSV. 

In the week ended March 30, every Kentucky county had a low rate of Covid-19 hospital admissions, considered to be less than 10 admissions per 100,000 people by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The state reported 1,431 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended March 30, showing the first uptick in confirmed flu cases since mid-February. The state reported 857 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19, which have declined for seven weeks in a row.  

The Kentucky Respiratory Disease Dashboard is now reporting Kentucky monthly death information for all Kentuckians since October 2023 as well as a separate category for those 65 and older during the 2023-24 respiratory season. 

The dashboard shows that since the flu season began in October,  there have been a total of 524 deaths attributed to Covid-19, with 447 of them in people 65 and older. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim were children. There have been 121 flu-related deaths, with 74 in people 65 and older. Ten deaths have been attributed to co-infection, with two of in people 65 and older.

Emergency-department visits and hospitalizations for respiratory illness keep dropping; at 'moderate' level for first time since fall

State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

For the first time since December, the state Department for Public Health says both respiratory-virus activity and hospital admissions related to respiratory disease are moderate and declining in Kentucky. 

In the week ended March 16, emergency-department visits for influenza, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) dropped 30%, to 1,936. Of those visits, 1,555 were for flu. 

Hospital admissions for the diseases dropped 38%, to 272. Of those, 141 hospital admissions were for flu, 111 for Covid-19 and 20 were for RSV. 

In that same week, eight Kentucky counties had Covid-19 hospital admission rates between 10 and 19.9 admissions per 100,000 population, which the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be a "medium" rate. Those counties were Clay, Elliott, Knox, Laurel, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan and Whitley. 

The state reported 1,761 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended March 16 and 1,121 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19. These numbers have dropped for five weeks in a row. 

Since the flu season began in October, the state has recorded 439 Covid-19 deaths, 110 flu deaths and two co-infection deaths. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim were children. 

Emergency-room visits for respiratory illness keep declining, but flu activity remains elevated, and hospital admissions for it are up

State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky's influenza levels remain elevated and hospitalizations for respiratory illness remain high, even though emergency-department visits for respiratory illness have stayed on a rough plateau since mid-January, according to the state Department for Public Health.

In the week ended March 2, Kentucky saw a 13% drop in emergency-department visits for respiratory illness, to 3,175. Flu continues to be the driver for this high number.

Hospitalizations for flu increased slightly, but overall admissions for the three respiratory diseases tracked by the state dropped 7%, to 491. In addition to flu, the state tracks Covid-19 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Letcher County is the only Kentucky county to have a high rate of Covid-19 hospital admissions in the week ended March 2, with 23.2 admissions per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Sixteen Kentucky counties had a hospital-admission rate between 10 and 19.9 per 100,000 people, considered "medium" by the CDC. That included Pike County, just north of Letcher. The others are in Western Kentucky: Union, Ohio, McLean, McCracken, Marshall, Lyon, Livingston, Hickman, Henderson, Hancock, Graves, Daviess, Crittenden, Carlisle and Ballard counties. 

For two weeks in a row, ED visits for respiratory illness have declined in children aged 5 to 17, dropping to 723 in the week ended March 2. Like adults, these visits have been driven by the flu. This age group had 14 hospital admissions in the week, 12 for flu and two for Covid-19. 

The state reported 3,603 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended March 2 and 1,983 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19. Both of these numbers have dropped for three weeks in a row. 

Since the flu season began in October, the state has recorded 414 Covid-19 deaths and 97 flu deaths, 75 of the latter since the first week of January. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim have been children.

Flu shots limit infection rates, which are still elevated in Kentucky

State health department graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The Kentucky Department for Public Health still considers hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses high and says flu activity remains elevated. 

Health officials say the best way to protect yourself from these viruses is to stay up to date with your vaccines. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months old and older get the annual flu vaccine and updated Covid-19 vaccines, especially children younger than 5 or anyone at high risk for complications.

Vaccines for respiratory syncitial virus are recommended for some infants and young children, pregnant women and adults 60 and older. At some places and times, there has been a shortage of these vaccines. 

This year's "flu vaccines have worked, substantially reducing the risk of flu-related medical visits and hospitalizations across all age groups, with some estimates higher than have been previously observed, even during well-matched seasons," said a CDC report released on Feb. 29.

"Specifically, flu vaccination has reduced the risk of flu medical visits by about two-thirds and flu-related hospitalization by about half for vaccinated children and flu medical visits by half and hospitalization by about 40% for vaccinated adults."

Even though flu season usually peaks around January, it lasts until May. Health experts say that if there is any flu activity occurring, it's not too late to get vaccinated.

What the numbers say

Emergency-department visits for respiratory illness in Kentucky have stayed about the same for the last two weeks, with 3,607 visits reported in the week ended Feb. 24.

Hospitalizations for respiratory disease in that week stayed about the same as the week prior, with 491 530 hospitalizations reported in the week ended Feb. 24. 

Kentucky had 20 counties with Covid-19 hospitalizations between 10 and 19.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, a rate that the  CDC considers "medium." 

Those counties are Adair, Green, Russell, Taylor, Clinton, Cumberland, Lewis, Elliott, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan, Barren, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe, Bath, Montgomery, Floyd, Johnson and Magoffin. 

Overall, there was little change in the three respiratory viruses tracked by the state health department: Covid-19, influenza and RSV, with flu continuing to drive ED visits and hospital admissions. 

The state reported 3,857 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended Feb. 24 and 2,246 laboratory confirmed cases of Covid-19. This reflected a slight drop in flu cases and a nearly 9% drop in Covid cases.

Among children, ED visits for respiratory disease increased 12% in children four and younger, to 671, compared to the prior week, and hospitalizations for children 5 to 17 increased 50%, to 18. The increase in ED visits for younger children was driven by the flu, and hospitalizations for the older children were driven by an increase in  both flu and Covid-19.

Since the respiratory-illness season began the first week in October, 384 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19, and 51 from flu, according to the health department. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim have been children. 

Emergency-department visits and hospitalizations for respiratory illness in Kentucky were down slightly from last week's uptick

State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

While still considered high, Kentucky hospitalizations for respiratory disease dropped 15% in the week ending Feb. 17 after increasing in the previous week. 

The state Department for Public Health's weekly respiratory-illness report says 454 Kentuckians were hospitalized during the week, with big drops in all three respiratory viruses the state tracks -- flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 

However, even with an 11% drop in Covid-19 hospitalizations, 15 Kentucky counties had a Covid-19 hospitalization rate between 10 and 10.9 per 100,000 people, considered an elevated or medium rate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and four Kentucky counties continued to have high rates of Covid-19 hospitalizations: Elliott, Menifee, Morgan and Rowan, all with rates of 21.2 per 100,000. 

The counties with medium rates of Covid-19 hospital admissions were Pike and Letcher, in far eastern Kentucky; Daviess, McLean, Ohio and Hancock, in western Kentucky; and Ballard, Carlisle, Crittenden, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall and McCracken, in far west Kentucky.

Emergency-department visits for respiratory illness in Kentucky dropped 4% in the week ended Feb. 17, to 3,481. The biggest drop was among patients with RSV (down 27%), followed by a drop in Covid-19 visits (down 12%). 

ED visits by 5- to 17-year-olds leveled off, largely because flu visits, while still high, leveled off. During the week, 880 children in this group visited EDs for flu. 

Both flu and Covid-19 saw slight drops in laboratory-confirmed cases in the week ended Feb. 17. Lab-confirmed flu cases dropped to 3,860 and lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases dropped to 2,430. 

Since the respiratory-illness season began the first week in October, 361 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19, and 51 from the flu, according to the health department. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim have been children. 

It's important to remember that flu and Covid-19 related deaths are reported in the week they happened, which can create an uptick in these numbers on any given week even though the deaths did not happen in that week. 

For example, this week's report shows an increase of 34 Covid-19 deaths and an increase of 23 flu deaths over the last report even though no new deaths were reported in the week ended Feb. 17.

Respiratory illness in Ky. resurged in the week ended Feb. 10, with 5-to-17-year-olds having an 84% jump in ED visits for the flu

State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

After weeks of overall decline, three major respiratory illnesses increased in Kentucky during the week ended Feb. 10, with children between the ages of 5 and 17 getting hit hard by influenza.  

The Kentucky Department for Public Health's weekly report says flu and Covid-19 activity is elevated and increasing and hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses are considered high.  

Emergency-department visits for the three respiratory viruses tracked by the state -- flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) -- increased nearly 16% in the week ended Feb. 10, to 3,583.  

This increase was driven by a 16% increase in visits for flu, to 2,745, and a 26% increase in Covid-19 visits, to 740. RSV visits dropped 26%, to 98. 

In the same week, Kentucky hospital admissions for the respiratory diseases increased 6% from the previous week, to 509. Flu was the only one of the tracked viruses to see an increase in hospital admissions in the week ended Feb. 10, with a 17% increase to 288. Covid-19 and RSV admissions had slight drops.  

Four northeastern Kentucky counties had high rates of Covid-19 hospital admissions in the week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which considers high to be 20 or more admissions per 100,000 residents. Rowan, Morgan, Menifee and Elliott counties had 27 Covid-19 admissions per 100,000. 

Ten Kentucky counties had admission rates between 10 and 19.9 Covid-19 admissions per 100,000, a rate the CDC considers "medium." They were Pike County, in far Eastern Kentucky, and McCracken, Marshall, Lyon, Livingston, Hickman, Graves, Crittenden, Carlisle, and Ballard counties, in far Western Kentucky. 

Children between the ages of 5-17 saw an 84% jump in emergency-department visits for respiratory illness in the week ended Feb. 10, to 970. This was driven by flu-related visits, which were up 82% over the previous week, to 876. Hospital visits for this age group dropped to 15 in that week, down from 22 the prior week. 

In the week ended Feb. 10, the state reported 3,912 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu, up 17% from the prior week. It reported 2,459 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19, up 16% from the week prior. 

Since the respiratory-illness season began the first week in October, 327 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19, and 28 from the flu, the health department says. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim have been children.

Respiratory illness in Ky. keeps declining, but slowly, and is still elevated; more kids are in hospitals; not too late to get vaccinated

Ky. Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

While emergency-department visits and hospital admissions related to respiratory illness were again less numerous in the week ended Feb. 4, the state Department for Public Health still considers them elevated. 

ED visits for respiratory-associated illness in Kentucky in the week saw a 6.7% drop, to 3,005 visits, according to the health department's weekly respiratory report.

Kentucky hospital admissions for the diseases in Kentucky dropped 25% from the previous week, to 428 in the week ended Feb. 3. 

Admissions for all three respiratory viruses monitored by the state saw big drops. Flu admissions dropped 25%, to 222; Covid-19 admissions dropped 19.6%, to 168; and RSV admissions dropped 59%, to 28. 

Again, none of the state's counties had high rates of Covid-19 hospital admissions in the week ended Feb. 3, but 13 had admission rates between 10 and 19.9 admissions per 100,000 people, a rate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers "medium."

The counties are bunched in Southern Kentucky (Barren, Hart, Metcalfe and Monroe), Central Kentucky (Boyle, Casey, Lincoln, Garrard and Mercer) and northeastern Kentucky (Elliott, Morgan, Menifee and Rowan). 

Children 4 and younger saw a slight uptick in hospital admissions for respiratory illness in the week ending Feb. 4, largely driven by nine Covid-19 admissions, eight more than the week prior. 

Children 5 to 17 saw a 40% increase in respiratory-related ED visits, to 737, and a 100% increase in hospital admissions (18), both driven by increases in flu. 

In the week ended Feb. 3, the state reported 3,415 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu, less than a 1% decrease from the previous week It reported 2,173 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19, up 4% from the week prior.

Since the first week in October, 296 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19, and 28 from the flu, the health department says. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim were children. 

It's not too late to get vaccinated. Flu season in Kentucky runs through mid-May, RSV outbreaks tend to occur through the end of spring, and the CDC warns that the virus that causes Covid-19 is constantly changing and has not yet established a regular season. 

Health officials recommend that everyone 6 months old and older get the annual flu vaccine and updated Covid-19 vaccines, especially children younger than 5 or anyone at high risk for complications.

Vaccines for RSV are recommended for some infants and young children, pregnant women and adults 60 and older, although a shortage of the vaccine has been reported.

Earlier this week, WKYT-TV reported there have been six flu-related deaths in Lexington since October, and that the most recent deaths were a person in their 40s and another in their 60s. The health department told WKYT that 84% of the 2,030 people with lab-confirmed influenza in Fayette County since October had not received a seasonal flu shot.

Update 2/11/24: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of children 4 and younger hospitalized for Covid-19 (nine) and the correct increase from the week prior (eight) when the state had only one Covid-19 hospitalization in this age group.  

Seasonal respiratory illness in Kentucky has declined for three weeks, but the numbers are still considered elevated

Ky. Dept. for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Emergency-department visits and hospital admissions for respiratory disease in Kentucky have dropped for three weeks in a row, but the Kentucky Department for Public Health still considers the rate of respiratory virus activity to be elevated and the number of hospitalizations to be high. 

Respiratory illness-related ED visits have dropped 47% since the last week of 2023, when the health department showed the highest number of ED visits during this respiratory-illness season, 6,147. 

In the three weeks since, there has been a steady decline in such visits, dropping to 3,243 visits in the week ended Jan. 20.

Of those, 2,379 were for flu, down 15% from the week prior; 663 were for Covid-19, down 30% from the week prior; and 201 were for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), down 38% from the week prior.

Hospital admissions associated with respiratory disease have also dropped steadily for three weeks in a row, to 530. That's down 47% from the season's high of 1,002 in the week ended Dec. 30. 

In the latest report, 236 admissions were for Covid-19, down 33% from the week prior; 216 were for flu, down 22% from the week prior; and 78 were for RSV, down 27% from the week prior.

Kentucky has no counties with high Covid-19 hospital admission rates in the week ended Jan. 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, it does have 24 counties with between 10 and 20 Covid-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, a rate the CDC considers "medium." These are largely in the easternmost part of the state and in a strip down the middle of the state. 

In the week ended Jan. 20, the state reported 2,042 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19, down 32% from the prior week. It reported 2,745 lab-confirmed cases of the flu, down 16% from the week prior. 

Among children 4 and younger, the number of respiratory-illnessemergency-department visits also dropped for the last three weeks, to 697 in the week ended Jan. 20. That's down 53% from a season-high of 1,489 on Dec. 30. 

In the latest report, 471 vists of those 4 and younger were for flu, down 11% from the week prior; 125 were for RSV, down 33% from the prior week; and 101 were for Covid-19, down 30%.

Respiratory-related hospitalizations for children 4 and younger have dropped for six weeks in a row, down to 38 in the week ended Jan. 20 from a season-high of 134 in the week ended Dec. 16, a drop of 72%

In the latest report, 18 of the hospitalizations were for RSV, down 44% from the week prior; 12 were for flu, down 48% from the week prior;  and 8 were for Covid-19, 2 more than the week prior. 

Hospital visits also dropped among children 5 through 17, with 633 respiratory-related ED visits reported in the week ended Jan. 20, down 18% from the week prior. 

In the latest report, 565 of the yoith visits were for flu, a drop of nearly 19%; 54 were for Covid-19; and 14 were for RSV. The Covid-19 and RSV numbers have fluctuated little for several weeks.

The number of ED visits in this age group has declined from a high of 1,000 in the week ended Dec. 23, but it has not been a steady decline; there were nine hospitalizations in the week ended Jan. 20 among children aged 5-17, the same as the week before.

Of those, seven were for flu, up one from the prior week; one was for Covid-19, down from three the week prior; and one was for RSV, up from none the prior week. 

Since the first week in October, 236 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19 and eight have died from the flu. One of the Covid-19 deaths and one of the flu deaths have been children. 

In the week ended Jan. 6, there were two Covid-19 deaths and one flu death reported in Kentucky. These numbers follow two weeks where the state saw 23 Covid-19 deaths during each week.

State reports two Kentucky children have died, one from flu and one from Covid-19, but hospital visits show first decline in months

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

As the state reported the first two deaths of children from Covid-19 and influenza, Kentucky saw the first drops in emergency-room visits and hospital admissions for the diseases in more than three months.

State health department graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

The weekly respiratory-illness update from the state Department for Public Health showed a 21% drop in emergency-department visits for the flu, Covid and respiritory syncitial virus (RSV), and a 13% drop in related hospitalizations the week ended Jan. 6. 

The children's deaths, one from Covid and one from flu, are the first pediatric deaths from respiratory illness reported this season. Neither child was vaccinated against the viruses that killed them, the department said. The report did not include any other information about the children. 

“Influenza and Covid-19 are serious illnesses that unfortunately can be deadly for some people, including young children,” said Dr. Steven Stack, the state's public health commissioner. “It is important for people who have not been vaccinated to get their updated influenza and Covid-19 vaccines this season, along with other recommended immunizations, to protect themselves.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months old and older get the annual flu and Covid vaccines, especially children younger than 5 or anyone at high risk for complications.

While hospital cases of the flu, Covid and RSV declined for the first time in many weeks, they continue to be widespread across Kentucky, says the release. 

Deaths are a lagging indicator of disease. Since Oct. 1, 165 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19 and seven have died from the flu, according to the health department's weekly respiratory report. 

In the week ended Jan. 6, Kentucky reported 3,173 laboratory confirmed cases of flu, down 19% from the week prior. The state reported 3,316 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid, down nearly 14% from the prior week. 

Covid, the flu and RSV all saw a drop in emergency department visits and hospitalizations in the week ended Jan. 6. Flu has led in emergency-department visits for weeks, but Covid-19 has been the leading cause for hospitalizations since the state starting its reporting in October. 

Among children 4 and younger, the number of respiratory-related emergency-department visits and hospitalizations also dropped in the week ended Jan. 6. Emergency visits for this age group dropped 23% from the prior week, to 1,137, and hospitalizations dropped 18%, to 102. 

They also dropped among children 5-17, with 589 respiratory-related emergency department visits reported in the week ended Jan. 6, down nearly 40% from the prior week. However, respiratory-related hospitalizations in this age group increased to 19, up from 17 the week prior. 

A CDC report for the week ended Jan. 6 showed 11 Kentucky counties with hospitalization rates above 20 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, a rate the CDC considers high. 

Boyd, Carter, Greenup, Lawrence and Martin counties had a rate of 26.6 admissions per 100,000; Pike County had 22.9; Lewis County 21.8; and Daviess, Hancock, McLean and Ohio counties had 20.3.

Flu, up 33% in year's final week, continues to drive big jumps in respiratory illness in Kentucky; it's not too late to get a flu shot

Kentucky is in the CDC's third highest category of flu activity. (Chart adapted by Ky. Health News)

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Like the rest of the nation, Kentucky saw another big jump in influenza cases in the week ended Dec. 30, with visits to emergency departments for flu up 33% over the prior week and flu-related hospitalizations up nearly 48%.

"The influenza virus is the thing that's really skyrocketing right now," Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky public-health commissioner and president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told NPR. "Influenza is sharply escalating and driving more hospitalizations."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers flu activity in Kentucky to be "very high." 

State health department graphs, adapted by Ky. Health News

The state's weekly report for the week ended Dec. 30 shows that the three respiratory that it tracks – flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus – accounted for 5,662 vistis to Kentucky hospital emergency departments. That was an increase of 20% from the prior week, when the state recorded 4,703 such visits.  

For the third week in a row, flu cases accounted for a majority of the respiratory-illness cases seen by emergency departments. The latest report shows 3,802 of the visits were for flu, up from 2,854 in the prior week. 

Covid-19 cases increased 15% during the week, to 1,365, up from 1,183 the prior week. RSV cases dropped 25.6%, to 495 from 666 the prior week. 

Kentucky children four and younger saw an 8% increase in respiratory-related emergency-department visits, increasing to 1,378 from 1,271 the prior week. This increase was also driven by a 32% increase in flu cases, to 854, up from 646 the prior week. 

RSV cases among children under four dropped to 328 during the week, down from 453 the week prior, and 196 of the cases were for Covid-19, up from 172 the week prior. 

Kentucky children between the ages of 5 and 17 saw a slight drop in emergency department visits for respiratory illness, down to 928 from 994 the prior week.  Of those, 823 were for flu, down slightly from 861 the week prior; 75 for Covid-19, down from 77 the week prior; and 30 for RSV, down from 56 the week prior. 

The state considers all of these respiratory viruses to be at an elevated level, with hospitalizations for the flu increasing. 

Hospitalizations for respiratory illness increased to 857, up from 757 the week prior, an increase of 13%. Of those 404 were for Covid-19, up from 364 the week prior, an increase of nearly 11%; 306 were for flu, up from 207 the week prior, an increase of 47.8%; and 147 were for RSV, down from 186 the week prior, a decrease of nearly 21%.

Among children four an younger,  there were 122 hospitalizations related to respiratory illness, down slightly from 125 the week prior. Of those, 76 were for RSV, down from 97 the week prior; 28 were for flu, up from 16 the week prior, an increase of 75%; and 18 were for Covid-19, up from 12 the week prior. 

Among children 5-17, hospitalizations for respiratory illness dropped to 16, down from 25 the week prior. Of those, 13 were for flu, down from 19 the week prior; two were for RSV, down from five the week prior; and one was for Covid-19, the same as the week prior.

According to the CDC, 20 Kentucky counties had a high rate of Covid-19 hospitalizations in the week ended Dec. 30, with most of them in the far eastern and western parts of the state. Since last week's report, Clinton and Cumberland counites were added to this list. 

The CDC considers 20 or more hospitalizations per 100,000 people a high rate. 

Those counties were led by Pike, at 37.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 people; McCracken (23.6); Martin (20.2); Marshall (23.6); Magoffin (21.4); Lyon (23.6); Livingston (23.6); Lawrence (20.2); Johnson (21.4); Hickman (23.6); Greenup (20.2); Graves (23.6); Floyd (21.4); Cumberland (23.8); Crittenden (23.6); Clinton (23.8); Carter (20.2); Carlisle (23.6); Boyd (20.2); and Ballard (23.6). 

Since Oct. 7, Kentucky health officials have attributed 159 deaths to Covid-19, an average of about 12 per week. There have been seven flu-related deaths.

Doctors say the best way to prevent hospitalization for Covid-19, the flu and RSV is immunization. Vaccines are readily available for the flu and Covid-19. The RSV vaccines for infants and people over 60 are in shorter supply, so experts advise you to check with your doctor or nurse practitioner.

Stack "encourages seasonal preventive shots for everyone 6 months and older," NPR reports, but "says it's particularly important for 'everybody who is elderly — and not even old elderly — like young elderly, 60 and older,' since they are more likely to get very sick from these viruses." 

Experts say the best ways to not spread respiratory illness is to stay home if you are sick, to cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your shirt sleeve, not your hands, and to keep your hands washed with soap and water.

FDA leaders say thousands of Americans are likely to die this winter because too many of them no longer believe in vaccines

By Dr. Peter Marks and Dr. Robert Califf
Republished from the Journal of the American Medical Association

Vaccination is one of the most highly effective public-health interventions, responsible for saving millions of lives each year. In the U.S., authorized or approved preventive vaccines must be manufactured with high quality, and the effectiveness and favorable safety profile of vaccines must be demonstrated. Their safety over time is also closely and continuously monitored through multiple overlapping passive and active safety surveillance systems.

Despite the care taken in the development and deployment of vaccines and their clear and compelling benefit of saving individual lives and improving population health outcomes, an increasing number of people in the U.S. are now declining vaccination for a variety of reasons, ranging from safety concerns to religious beliefs. Setting aside for now the controversial issue of vaccine mandates at the federal, state, or local level in the U.S., which are not within the purview of the Food and Drug Administration, the situation has now deteriorated to the point that population immunity against some vaccine-preventable infectious diseases is at risk, and thousands of excess deaths are likely to occur this season due to illnesses amenable to prevention or reduction in severity of illness with vaccines.

To counter the current trend, we urge the clinical and biomedical community to redouble its efforts to provide accurate plain-language information regarding the individual and collective benefits and risks of vaccination. Such information is now needed because vaccines have been so successful in achieving their intended effects that many people no longer see the disturbing morbidity and mortality from infections amenable to vaccines. For example, smallpox has been eradicated, and polio has been eliminated from the U.S., through effective vaccination campaigns.

Measles was similarly eliminated, but imported cases remain a threat to those who are unvaccinated as well as to those who are immunocompromised. Regrettably, pediatric vaccine hesitancy now has been responsible for several measles outbreaks in the U.S., including a recent one in central Ohio involving locally acquired cases in 85 children, 36 of whom (42%) had to be hospitalized for complications. It is sobering to note that vaccine hesitancy to childhood vaccines, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, has been found to cluster in middle- to high-income areas among parents with at least a college degree who preferred social-media narratives over evidence-based vaccine information delivered by clinicians. Anyone doubting the benefits of vaccination need only look to low-income parts of the world where measles vaccination is inaccessible, and many thousands of children continue to die each year due to preventable disease. Unfortunately, with the success of pediatric vaccination campaigns to date, increasing numbers of people have become complacent and underestimate the actual risk of forgoing vaccination.

In addition to making a difference regarding childhood immunization, communication regarding the potential benefits of vaccination can hopefully also improve the number of individuals accepting vaccination to protect against Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus disease (RSV). Vaccination rates against these respiratory pathogens are inadequate, and this is most distressing in older individuals in whom the benefits of vaccination in reducing hospitalization and death are eminently clear. In fact, uptake of the updated Covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. is only about 35% in those older than 65 years, which is about half the rate in this age group in the U.K.

Clinicians who provide care are most trusted information sources

What can we do to start tipping the scales in the direction of evidence-informed vaccine acceptance to reduce the risk of death and illness from diseases in which vaccines are effective? Evidence indicates that the most trusted source of information about health decisions remains clinicians who provide care. Broadly interpreted, this also includes retail pharmacists, who may serve as the only source of medical advice for the many individuals in the U.S. who lack a primary-care clinician or who are uninsured. All those working in health care, while being straightforward about the risks, need to better educate people regarding the benefits of vaccination, so that individuals can make well-informed choices based on accurate scientific evidence.

For example, contrary to a wealth of misinformation available on social media and the internet, data from various studies indicate that since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic tens of millions of lives were saved by vaccination. The benefits of these vaccines in prevention were largest in older individuals. However, studies show that people of all ages who are up to date on vaccination benefit and have a lower risk of developing long Covid.

FDA graph from CDC data, adapted by Kentucky Health News; click image to enlarge it.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine effectiveness appeared to be higher against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 than against later variants. Nonetheless, since the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccines, in absolute terms vaccination has been associated with notably fewer deaths across the age range. A similar trend was seen in 2021 and 2023, even though the total number of deaths from Covid-19 have decreased more recently (note the order of magnitude difference on the scale). Those up to date on Covid-19 vaccination had notably lower numbers of deaths per million individuals than those who were unvaccinated. The benefits were apparent across the entire age range early on, and more recently following the exposure of a larger number of individuals to natural infection with one of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, with 16.5-fold and 3.6-fold reductions in death, respectively. 

And although the argument is sometimes made that Covid-19 is not a serious illness in younger individuals, those who received at least one dose of any Covid-19 vaccine had a notably reduced risk of dying from this disease compared with those who had never been vaccinated. Comparing 11.71 million unvaccinated individuals with 9.9 million individuals who had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the risk of death was 2.46 times higher in the unvaccinated group. And this finding is not an outlier; other studies report equal or greater benefit. The message from the data on vaccination status and serious illness, subsequent hospitalization, and death is clear, and this can be communicated in verbal or visual terms to individuals contemplating vaccination.

It is often difficult for a person to take action when the individual risk of an outcome is relatively low, even when the consequences of complications are high, and the population effects are substantial. In situations such as with seat belts, however, the discussion ultimately has led to almost uniform use, and vaccination use had similarly been almost uniformly accepted. The current reversal of vaccine acceptance has already resulted in hundreds of thousands of excess deaths from Covid-19 and concern about the re-emergence of previously conquered infectious diseases.

We believe that the best way to counter the current large volume of vaccine misinformation is to dilute it with large amounts of truthful, accessible scientific evidence. To reduce deaths, hospitalization, and the burden on families and the health care system, all those directly interacting with individuals in a health care setting, ranging from front office staff to retail pharmacists to primary-care physicians, need to focus at every appropriate opportunity on helping to ensure that individuals have the necessary information to make informed choices regarding vaccination, considering the benefits and risks. By doing so, we can both help prevent pediatric infectious diseases and dramatically reduce the harm from pathogens such as Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus disease before we have another large wave of any of these vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Peter Marks is director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Robert Califf is FDA commissioner.

CDC keeps urging health-care providers to recommend and offer vaccines; flu, Covid-19 and RSV rates are elevated in Kentucky

State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Ky. Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to encourage health-care providers to get their patients immunized against flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncitial virus, noting that a recent poll shows that many Americans who have not yet been immunized report being open to vaccination.

"Strong provider recommendations for, and offers of, vaccination could increase influenza, Covid-19 and RSV vaccination coverage," says the CDC's Dec. 22 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

The survey sample was drawn from a random-digit-dialed cellular telephone survey that included adults in every state.

It found that between Sept. 24 and Dec. 9, an estimated 40% of Kentucky adults reported they had gotten a flu shot; 15% had received an updated 2023-24 Covid-19 vaccine, and 23% of adults 60 and older had received a vaccine for RSV, which poses the greatest risk for seniors and infants. 

Kentucky's flu and updated Covid-19 vaccination rates are lower than the estimated national rates of 42% for flu and 18% for Covid-19, but higher than the national seniors rate for RSV, 17%. 

The state Department for Public Health's latest weekly respiratory-illness report shows that Covid-19, RSV and flu activity is elevated, and hospitalizations for RSV and flu are increasing. 

In the week ended Dec. 16, emergency-department visits for respiratory illness increased for yet another week, to 3,921, up from 3,670 the week prior. 

Of the latest week's cases, 2,072 were for flu, up from 1,720 the week prior; 1,073 were for Covid-19, down from 1,134; and 776 for RSV, down from 816. 

Among children 4 and younger, emergency-department visits due to respiratory illness increased slightly, to 1,303, up from 1,265 the week prior. Of those, 604 were for flu, up from 507; 570 were for RSV, down from 594; and 129 were for Covid-19, down from 164. 

Among children 5 to 17, emergency-department visits due to respiratory illness increased to 810, up from 653 the week before. Of those, 653 were for flu, up from 498. Covid-19 and RSV numbers stayed about the same as the week before, at 86 and 71, respectively. 

In that same week, hospital admissions for respiratory illness dropped a bit, to 617, down from 639 in the prior week. Of those, 310 were for Covid-19, down from 345; 171 were for RSV, down from 191; and 136 were for flu, up from 103. 

Among children 4 and under, hospitalizations for respiratory illness increased to 130, up from 105 the week prior. Of those, 101 were for RSV, up from 94; 19 were for flu, up from 7; and 10 were for Covid-19, up from 7. 

Among children 5 to 17, hospitalizations due to respiratory illness increased to 17, up from 10 the week prior. Of those, 13 were for flu, up from 4; 3 were for RSV, down from 4; and 1 was for Covid-19, the same as the week prior. 

A CDC report for the week ended Dec. 16 showed that Covid-19 hospitalization rates in 11 Kentucky counties were above 2 hospitalizations per 10,000 residents, which the CDC considers high. 

The leading county remains Letcher, with a rate of 2.3 hospitalizations per 100. The other high counties, with rates of 2.05 to 2.12, were all in northeastern Kentucky: Lewis, Greenup, Boyd, Carter, Rowan, Menifee, Morgan, Elliott, Lawrence and Martin. 

Deaths: Since Oct. 1, the state health department has attributed 118 deaths to Covid-19 and six to flu. One Covid-19 death was reported during the week ended Dec. 9.

Respiratory-related deaths for flu and Covid-19 on the state's weekly dashboard are reported according to when they occur, which sometimes leads to a delay between the actual date of death and the submission to the department.

Flu, Covid-19 and RSV rates are so high that the CDC has issued a health advisory urging more Americans to get vaccinated

State graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

As illness from the three respiratory viruses tracked by Kentucky health departments — influenza, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — continue to pile up, the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health advisory urging more Americans to get vaccinated.  

"Low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in national and international respiratory disease activity caused by multiple pathogens, including influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19), and RSV, could lead to more severe disease and increased healthcare capacity strain in the coming weeks," says the advisory, which also reported a rise in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children following Covid-19 infection. 

The advisory says there is an urgent need to increase immunization for the flu, Covid-19, and RSV, along with the use of authorized and approved therapeutics this winter. 

The need for more people to get vaccinated holds true in Kentucky. 

As of Sept. 18, 58% of the state's total population was considered fully vaccinated for Covid-19, and 41% had received an additional dose, according to the state's Covid-19 dashboard. 

During the 2022-2023 flu season, 40.1% of Kentuckians got a flu vaccine. Among children, that rate was 47.1%, and among adults, it was 35.8%, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

And it appears there aren't enough of the recently approved RSV vaccines to go around, according to reporting by Louisville's WDRB on Dec. 6. 

Dr. Michael Kuduk, president of the Kentucky Medical Association, told Molly Jett of WDRB that the children's RSV antibody injection is "pretty much not available" and the vaccine for pregnant women is "really hard to find."

"Manufacturers can't keep up with the demand," Kuduk said. "It's not going to help anybody this year in the middle of RSV season."

The state Department for Public Health's latest weekly respiratory-illness report shows Covid-19 and RSV activity is high; flu activity is increasing; and hospitalizations for RSV are increasing. 

In the week ended Dec. 9, Kentucky reported 3,144 laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19, down from 3,907 the week prior. The state reported 1,109 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu, up from 866 the prior week. 

In the week ended Dec. 9, emergency-department visits for the three respiratory illnesses in Kentucky remained high, but dropped a bit, to 3,383 visits, down from 3,631 the week prior. 

Of the week's cases, 1,661 were for flu, up from 1,650 the week prior; 1,070 were for Covid-19, down from 1,183 the week prior; and 753 were for RSV, down from 798 the week prior. 

This week's dashboard breaks children's cases into two age categories, 0 through 4 and 5 through 17. 

Among children 4 and younger, there were 1,201 emergency-department visits for respiratory illness. Of those, 548 were for RSV, down from 597 the week prior; 496 were for flu, down from 522 the week prior; and 157 were for Covid-19, down from 184 the week prior. 

Among children 5-17, there were 614 emergency-department visits for respiratory illness. Of those, 472 were for flu, up from 393 the week prior; 79 were for Covid-19, up from 54 the week prior; and 63 were for RSV, down from 72 the week prior. 

Overall hospitalizations for respiratory illness also dropped a bit, to 577, down from 584 the week prior. Of those, 310 were for Covid-19, down from 320 the week prior; 172 for RSV, up from 159; and 95 for flu, down from 105 the week prior. 

Among children 0-4, there were 103 hospitalizations for respiratory illness, down from 127 the prior week. Of those, 93 were for RSV, up from 92; seven were for flu, down from 18; and three were for Covid-19, down from 17. 

Among children 5-17, there were nine hospitalizations for respiratory illness in the week ended Dec. 9, down from 11 the prior week. Of those, four were for flu, down from five; four were for RSV, up from three; and one was for Covid-19, down from three.

Ranges of Covid-19 hospitalization rates for the week ended Dec. 9
Red indicates a high rate; yellow, medium; and green, low. (CDC)

A CDC report for the week ended Dec. 9, showed that Covid-19 hospitalization rates in 10 Kentucky counties were above 20 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, which the CDC considers high. 

Letcher County continues to stand out with a rate of 41.8 Covid-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. The previous week, that rate was 74.2. Other counties with the "high" designation were Pike, with a rate of 23.8 per 100,000; Martin (20.2); Magoffin (20); Lawrence (20.2); Johnson (20); Greenup (20.2); Floyd (20); Carter (20.2); and Boyd (20.2). 

Deaths: Since Oct. 1, the state health department has attributed 99 deaths to Covid-19, six to flu and none to RSV. No deaths were reported during the week ended Dec. 8. 

Respiratory-related deaths on the state's weekly dashboard are reported according to when they occur, which sometimes leads to a delay between the actual date of death and the submission to the department. 

Emergency-room visits for respiratory illness went up 10% in latest weekly report; hospitalizations for flu and RSV inched up

State graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The state Department for Public Health's latest weekly respiratory report shows Covid-19 virus activity is moderate, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity is increasing, and hospitalizations for RSV and the flu have inched up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a reminder that immunizations are available this fall and winter that can help protect against all three of these major respiratory diseases, saying, "Immunization against these viruses remains the best protection for reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalizations, long-term health impacts, and death." 

In the week ended Nov. 19, emergency department visits for respiratory illnesses in Kentucky increased again, to 3,582, an increasse of 10 percent from 3,247 the prior week. 

The breakdown of cases was 1,492 for flu, up from 1,345 the prior week; 1,306 for Covid-19, up from 1,200; and 784 for RSV, up from 702. 

Among Kentucky children, ED visits for respiratory illnesses also increased again, to 1,726.  Of those, 867 were for flu, up from 771; 662 were for RSV, up from 598; and 197 were for Covid-19, down from 201. 

Hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses in Kentucky decreased a bit, but have largely stayed the same for the last three weeks.  In the week ended Nov. 19, the state reported  471 such hospitalizations, down from 476 the prior week. Hospitalizations for Covid-19 decreased for the second week in a row, to 263; RSV hospitalizations increased to 129, up from 116 the prior week; and flu also went up slightly to 79, from 72 the prior week. 

Among children, hospitalizations for respiratory disease dropped slightly after rising for six weeks in a row, to 111. That's down from 115 the prior week. RSV hospitalizations among children dropped to 84, down from 90 the week prior; flu hospitalizations increased to 20, up from 14 the week prior; and Covid-19 dropped to seven, down from 11. 

Covid-19 hospitalization rates for week ended Nov. 25
(CDC data and map adapted by Kentucky Health News)

A more recent report, from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that Covid-19 hospitalization rates in Kentucky in the week ended Nov. 25 were highest along the state's eastern border, from Lewis County to Letcher County. 

In the week ended Nov. 19, the state reported 2,990 laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 tests, down from 3,116 the week prior. The state reported 570 laboratory-confirmed flu tests, up from 428 the week prior. It was the third straight increase in weekly flu numbers. 

Emergency-room visits for respiratory illness in Kentucky went up for the sixth week in a row, as hospitalizations saw a slight dip

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

As we head into the full swing of the holiday season and people start to gather indoors to celebrate while taking fewer precautions to protect themselves, respiratory viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid-19 are expected to surge. 

The state Department for Public Health's weekly respiratory illness report shows that in the week ended Nov. 12, emergency-department visits for respiratory illnesses in Kentucky increased again, to 3,160. The weekly rise was the sixth in a row.

The breakdown of cases was 1,336 influenza, up from 1,209 the prior week; 669 were for RSV, up from 534; and 1,155 for Covid-19, down from 1,209.

Among Kentucky children, ED visits for respiratory illness also increased again, to 1,534, and Covid-19 cases rose to 194 from 172 the week before. Flu cases in children totaled 765, up from 694 the prior week, and 575 were for RSV, up from 475..

Hospitalizations for respiratory illness in Kentucky dropped a bit in the week ended Nov. 12, to 447, down from 458. Of those, 261 were for Covid-19, down from 306 the prior week; 113 were for RSV, up from 89; and 73 were for flu, up from 63.

Among children, hospitalizations for respiratory illness also increased in the week ended Nov. 12, to 115. That's up from 88 the week prior. Of those, 90 were for RSV, up from 67 the week before; 14 were for flu and 11 were for Covid-19, both about the same as the week prior.

In the week ended Nov. 12, Kentucky reported 3,053 laboratory-confirmed tests for Covid-19 and 424 laboratory-confirmed tests for the flu.

Axios reports that nationwide, vaccinations against all three respiratory viruses are lagging and that health experts worry hospitals could be slammed again this winter. 

"The concern here with this vaccination gap is: Could this get worse as the number of transmissions increases from November, December, into January?" Marc Watkins, chief medical officer for Kroger Health, told Axios.

The latest Kaiser Family Foundation Covid-19 Vaccine Monitor survey shows that about half of adults say they do not plan to get the latest Covid-19 vaccine, which became publicly available nearly two months ago. This includes three in 10 of those who were previously vaccinated, says KFF. However, a quarter of the public said that while they have not gotten the latest vaccine, they intend to do so. 

While experts are hoping that the new RSV vaccination will protect older adults and infants from the virus, and keep them out of the hospital, Axios reports, supplies have been limited and some patients have struggled to get insurers to pay for them. 

 
Covid-19 and the flu continue to kill. In the week ended Nov. 5, the state attributed four deaths to Covid-19 deaths and one to the flu.

Louisville wastewater shows a surge of flu virus, signaling Ky. flu season is here; shots recommended for all six months and older

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

The state Department for Public Health's weekly respiratory virus update, released Thursday, Nov. 9, shows that Covid-19 activity is moderate and influenza activity is low, but increasing. And while hospitalizations for Covid-19 and flu remain low, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalizations in children continue to increase. 

This report comes as Louisville public-health officials are urging residents to get their flu shots, saying that the city's wastewater surveillance system has detected a surge in influenza virus – which means that flu season is right around the corner, reports Jess Clark of Louisville Public Media.

Researchers at the University of Louisville told Clark that their wastewater monitoring system has detected a redoubling of influenza virus concentration in recent weeks.

“That’s a sign that flu season is almost here,” Dr. Kris Bryant, associate medical director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, told Clark. “And if people have not yet had their flu shot, now is the time. Make an appointment today to get a flu shot before flu really starts circulating in our community.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. 

The state report shows that emergency department visits for respiratory illness in Kentucky have increased weekly since early October, reaching a high of 2,115 in the week ended Oct. 29. Of those, 891 visits were for Covid-19, 885 were for flu and 339 were for RSV. 

Hospitalizations for respiratory illness in Kentucky stayed about the same as the previous week, increasing by three to 296 in the week ended Oct. 29. Of those, 192 were for Covid-19, 53 were for flu and 53 were for RSV. 

Among children, emergency-department visits increased to 965 in the week ended Oct. 29, up from 748 the week prior. Of those, 513 were related to flu, up from 414 the prior week; 302 were related to RSV, up from 185 the prior week; and 150 were related to Covid-19, up one from the prior week. 

Hospitalizations for respiratory illness among children increased slightly from the prior week, to 60. Of those, 45 were for RSV, 13 for flu and two for Covid-19. 

In the week ended Oct. 29, Kentucky reported 2,414 laboratory-confirmed tests for Covid-19, up from 2,312 in the prior report; and 169 positive laboratory tests for the flu, the same as the week prior. 

No additional deaths were reported in this week's report.

State's weekly respiratory-virus update shows hospitalizations of Kentucky children for RSV are increasing

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The state Department for Public Health's weekly respiratory virus update, released Thursday, Nov. 2, showed that Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity was moderate, and influenza was low, but increasing, and hospitalizations for Covid-19 and the flu remain low, but are increasing for children with RSV. 

The state's respiratory-virus website, found at CoverYourCough.ky.gov, shows emergency-department visits and hospital visits for all three respiratory viruses increased in the week ended Oct. 22, with ED visits increasing to 1,754 from 1,692 the week before, and hospitalizations increasing to 258, up from 249 the prior week. 

Of those, ED visits for Covid-19 increased by 1, to 796; visits for flu totaled 776, up from 717 the previous week; and 182 were seen for RSV, an increase of 2.  

In that same week, Covid-19 hospitalizations dropped to 166, down from 181 the prior week; flu hospitalizations increased to 50, up from 41 the prior week; and RSV hospitalizations increased to 42, up from 27 the prior week. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reporting information through Oct. 28, 18 Kentucky counties had a medium rate of hospital admissions for respirator illnesses, a designation for counties with between 10 and 19.9 admissions per 100,000 residents. 

Those counties were Rowan (13.5 admissions per 100,000); Pike (10.6); Morgan (13.5); Monroe (10.7); Metcalfe (10.7); Menifee (13.5); Martin (12.4); Magoffin (10); Letcher (13.9); Lawrence (12.4); Johnson (10); Hart (10.7); Greenup (12.4); Floyd (10); Elliott (13.5); Carter (12.4); Boyd (12.4); and Barren (10.7). 

In the week ended Oct. 22, Kentucky reported 1,549 laboratory-confirmed tests for Covid-19, up from 1,397 the prior week; and 131 positive laboratory tests for the flu, up slightly from 128 the prior week. 

Children: Kentucky children under the age of 18 saw an increase of seven ED visits for all three respiratory viruses in the week ending Oct. 22, to 709. There was a jump in hospitalizations for all three viruses in this age group, increasing to 53 from 31 the week before. 

Among children, 410 of them were seen in the ED, up from 377 the prior week; 134 were seen for the flu, down from 162 the prior week; and 165 were seen for RSV,  up from 162. 

In the week ended Oct. 22, 39 children were hospitalized with RSV, up from 21 the prior week. Nine had been hospitalized for the flu and five for Covid-19.

The best ways to protect yourself and others from these viruses are to stay up to date with your vaccines, stay home if you are sick, keep your hands washed, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue in the trash, and if you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands. In addition, they ask people who are at high risk for serious illness to consider wearing a mask.

Deaths: In the week ended Oc. 8, Kentucky reported one Covid-19 death and one flu death, all of them adults. 

Flu and RSV cases increasing in Kentucky, but Covid-19 cases are still by far the leader in lab tests and emergency-room visits

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The state Department for Public Health's weekly Respiratory Virus Update, released Thursday, Oct. 26 showed that Covid-19 activity was moderate, and influenza and respiratory syncytial virus activity was low but increasing, and hospitalizations for all three infectious respiratory diseases remained low.

The state's Respiratory Viruses website shows that in the week ended Oct. 15, emergency-department visits associated with respiratory diseases continued to inch up, with 1,666 visits reported. This was up by 102 visits, or 6.5 percent, from the prior week, when 1,564 ED visits were reported.  

In that same reporting week, ED visits increased the most for RSV patients, to 176 from 131 the prior week. Flu increased to 716 visits, up from 672; and Covid-19 visits increased to 774, up from 761.

In the same week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky reported 1,204 laboratory-confirmed tests for Covid-19, down from 1,281 the prior week; and 109 positive laboratory tests for the flu, up from 96 the prior week.

Health officials say the best ways to protect yourself and others from these viruses are to stay up to date with your vaccines, stay home if you are sick, keep your hands washed, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue in the trash, and if you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands. In addition, they ask people who are at high risk for serious illness to consider wearing a mask. 

Hospital admissions associated with respiratory diseases have steadily decreased in Kentucky during the past four weeks and were down to 235 in the week ended Oct. 15, from 244 the week prior. 

The biggest drop in hospital admissions was among Covid-19 patients, which numbered 170 in the week of Oct. 15, down from 184 the week prior.

The CDC, with information through Oct. 21, shows Pike County with a hospital-admission rate of 24.7 per 100,000 people. That is in CDC's high level, for counties with 20 or more hospital admissions per 100,000. Adjoining Logan County, West Virginia, had a similar rate.

Five Kentucky counties had medium hospital-admission levels for Covid-19 in the last week, meaning they had between 10 and 19.9 hospital admissions per 100,000 people. Those counties include Bracken, Fleming and Mason, each with 15 admissions per 100,000; and Henderson and Union, each with 13.4.

Hospital admissions stayed about the same for flu patients (41) and RSV patients (24) compared to the prior week. 

Deaths: In the week ended Oct. 1, Kentucky reported eight deaths associated with Covid-19 and in the week ended Oct. 8, the state reported one death associated with Covid-19 and one flu-associated death. All of the dead were adults.

State launches new one-stop website, CoverYourCough.ky.gov, with information on Covid-19, flu and RSV, updated weekly

The state Department for Public Health has launched a new one-stop website for information on Covid-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

“As we continue into the fall and winter cold and flu season, this site, and a new Respiratory Virus Data Dashboard that is part of this site, will provide awareness of where Kentucky stands with regard to spikes and decreases in these viruses to help inform personal decisions,” Health Commissioner Steven Stack said in a news release. 

The website, at CoverYourCough.ky.gov, joins the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other states in putting all of this information in one location, says the release. 

The state site includes a Respiratory Virus Data Dashboard,with data starting the first week of October, which marked the official start of flu season. Flu season in Kentucky runs through mid-May. 

Data will be updated on Thursdays and will replace the state's previous weekly flu report and Covid-19 dashboard. Weekly reports will be archived.

The dashboard will provide the number of positive laboratory tests for Covid-19 that have been reported to the state; the percentage of outpatient medical visits attributed to flu-like illness in the Sentinel Health Care provider network; the number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations associated with Covid-19, the flu and/or RSV; the number of reported deaths associated with Covid-19 and/or influenza; and pediatric deaths attributed to Covid or the flu.

The provider network includes doctors' offices, hospitals and health departments that voluntarily submit their flu data. 

The health department cautions that while anyone can get a respiratory infection, some people are at high risk for serious illness, so it's important for Kentuckians to follow the tips listed on the site to protect themselves and others this fall and winter.

Fall is vaccine season; doctors say it's OK to get immunizations for Covid-19 and flu at same time; new RSV vaccine available

The timing of vaccines matters.
(Wall Street Journal illustration, from iStock images)

Covid-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are circulating, so the vaccine season is upon us. To get the maximum protection, start with a game plan.

"Doctors generally suggest getting your flu and Covid shots before the end of October and say it's OK to get both those shots at the same time," reports Sumathi Reddy of The Wall Street Journal. "The most important thing, doctors say, is to get vaccinated. If you're in a doctor's office or a drugstore and can get your shots, it usually makes sense to do it."

For Covid shots, "Sooner rather than later is good. . . especially if you are a senior or immunocompromised," Reddy reports. One exception: Over the summer, there was an increase in Covid cases, and if you've been recently infected, putting off getting a booster for three to six months is wise. "If your level of antibodies is quite high, the booster does very little good. You're kind of wasting your shot," John Wherry, director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, told Reddy. 

"The newly approved booster targets the dominant strains now circulating," Reddy notes. "Covid-19 test positivity rates have hovered around 14% for the past month, according to CDC data, up from 4% in June. Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna have already rolled out. The Novavax booster is expected later this fall."

The annual flu vaccine is recommended in September or October. "Flu cases usually start ticking up in November and peak in January before trailing off at the end of March," Reddy notes. "If you get sick with the flu before you've been vaccinated, you should still get the vaccine about a month later, he says. That's because the flu vaccine typically protects against four types or strains of influenza."

RSV vaccines are approved for seniors and some pregnant women; doctors say opting to have the vaccines sooner is best, Reddy reports, "because activity is picking up, and RSV tends to peak earlier than the other respiratory viruses, says Wherry. There is also a new RSV drug approved to protect infants. Cases are already starting to increase in the Southeast, according to the CDC."