Andrew Pavia, director of epidemiology at Primary Children’s Hospital, said Monday that RSV and flu are virtually non-existent in Utah and the rest of the country, while the state reported 338 new COVID-19 cases and only one additional death. . the coronavirus.
Usually during this time of year, hundreds of infants and toddlers are hospitalized with RSV in Utah, as the respiratory synthesis virus is widely known. But so far this winter, there has been no single admission for the virus in the Primary Children’s Hospital, and flu infections are extremely rare.
Public health measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, including travel restrictions that accelerate the circulation of seasonal flu, may help offset the slowdown in cases of flu, but the explanation for RSV other than getting away is not so clearly not, Pavia said.
‘We have known for years that masking and physical distance and better hand washing can control flu. Now we do this natural experiment where we control it really dramatically, ”Pavia said, adding that” RSV is a bit more confusing “because it does not disappear like the flu in the summer.
However, masking helps keep children at home during the pandemic, he said.
“But there may be some other things that we do not fully understand, because all of these things can be expected to bring RSV to low numbers, but it is virtually zero in the whole country,” Pavia said. said and added one theory that has yet to be proven. is that the COVID-19 virus has driven out other viruses, such as RSV.
However, the low case for RSV and flu does not mean that the respiratory infections have disappeared.
Pavia said both can hit Utahns hard, maybe even during the warmer months.
‘It is very likely that when more flu and RSV are gone for a while, more people are susceptible to it. So when it comes down to it, it spreads more dramatically and we see worse diseases, ‘he said.
RSV is dependent on more babies “who are completely susceptible” to the virus, Pavia said. Next year, there will probably be twice as many babies who have never been exposed. He said Australia, where it is now summer and COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed, now has a huge increase in RSV.
“Our gut feeling is that it will roar again,” the doctor said, adding that RSV affects older adults as well as the youngest children.
The cases of COVID-19 are declining, but with the 338 new cases reported on Monday, they have reached 367,073 since the start of the March pandemic. Vaccinations appear to help, with 611,910 doses administered in the state, including 4,353 since Sunday.
The running average of seven days for positive tests is 760 per day. Another 2,892 Utahns were tested and another 5,931 tests were performed. The running average of seven days for percentage positivity if multiple tests are excluded by an individual within 90 days is 13.3%, or 6% if all tests are included, which is now the state’s preferred method.
There are 237 people infected with the coronavirus in Utah. As the national death toll is nearly 500,000, Utah lost 1,853 people to COVID-19 with the latest death reported Monday, a woman in Wasatch County between 45 and 64 who was a long-term resident.
Correction: In an earlier version of this story, dr. Andrew Pavia erroneously as dr. Anthony Pavia refers.