Respiratory Illnesses On The Rise

By Marija Ilic

North Central West Virginia has quickly caught on the wave on respiratory illnesses that have blanketed the nation, including Covid, pneumonia, and different strains of flu. The rise in illnesses started at the beginning of August in more populated areas, and have now reached rural parts of the country, including our county.

According to the WV Department of Health respiratory illnesses tracker, current Covid and flu cases are reaching January of 2024 levels, and are on sharp upward trajectory, seeing no slowing down in days to come. These levels are highly unusual in the summer time. Even though in the past four years, there has been some increase once the school was back in session, it was not at the wintertime levels.

Emergency room visits for both Covid and influenza are up from the week prior, and in the last two weeks, there have been more than 5,000 confirmed Covid positive tests statewide, including 17 in Barbour County. It is important to note that these are only hospital confirmed tests, and do not include those who test at home, or those who presume to have Covid due to having symptoms, but do not test.

Current Covid related hospitalizations are twice the amount of September 2023, and on par with January 2024 levels, when the nation saw second highest Covid wave in four years. Several local hospitals have reinstated limited visitations due to respiratory illnesses’ outbreak.