COVID and RSV and the flu, oh my!
Health department gives tips on testing, vaccines, and protecting against illness
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The flu season started early last fall. It was joined by a particularly nasty round of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and COVID never went away. As a result, hospitalizations jumped late last year, and many people suffered through a sniffling, coughing, feverish holiday.
And none of these viruses have gone away. People are still at risk for contracting any of these afflictions, though there are indications that the worst may be past. According to Jennifer Sexton, director of nursing at the Howard County Health Department, people still need to take precautions.
“Good hand washing is very important,” said Sexton. “Respiratory etiquette, such as not coughing or sneezing on others is helpful. Some people might want to consider masking in high-risk situations, like being in large crowds. And people who are immunocompromised may want to be vigilant about masking even in smaller groups.”
The three viruses can be indistinguishable from one another in terms of symptoms. If a person gets sick, testing may be the only way to know which virus is in effect.
“We did find a lot of co-infections, which had to have been no fun,” said Sexton. “Having a test and seeking medical care, if needed, is probably the best way to tell. People have been fairly sick with influenza this season. There have been hospitalizations across the state.
“It was an early season for respiratory illness, and at the start there was a conflagration of three things going on. We had a lot of COVID, early onset of influenza, and we also had RSV affecting children and older adults. That created some challenges for the hospitals.”
So, how bad is it out there? Sexton said there have been declines in the incidence of all three viruses since the season began last September, but that doesn’t mean a nasty bout with a virus won’t happen.
“We still are seeing a high incidence of influenza illness being reported,” said Sexton. “However, the physicians and health professionals in the community I have spoken to are indicating that they are seeing a bit of a downturn at this point. And RSV is significantly better at this point.
“We had been at a very high community transmission level for COVID for a very long time. We are now in a medium community transmission level.”
Sexton said there may be several reasons for the decline in COVID locally. Many people have either been vaccinated or have contracted the disease and recovered, giving them some immunity to infection.
“I think the disease has run through a great percentage of the population at this point, but we do still see some significant infection numbers, which is related to the variants that have come about,” said Sexton. “You may have some partial protection against a variant once you’ve had COVID. Or you may have some protection from the vaccines – enough to keep you out of the hospital or keep you from dying. But it may not be enough to keep you from contracting COVID.”
Sexton said it has become difficult for the healthcare community to accurately track COVID infections at this point because there is no requirement for a person to report the disease when they test from home. Conversely negative tests also do not have to be reported by individuals.
At-home COVID testing has become prevalent in the past year. Fortunately, the cost of the tests largely is borne by government and the insurance industry. Having a test on-hand just in case might seem like a good idea, but the tests do expire.
According to Howard County Health Department director James Vest, it is best to throw away expired tests rather than hope they are still effective.
“We do not recommend using tests beyond their expiration dates,” said Vest. “Sometimes expiration dates do get extended. People can go online to the FDA’s website. There is a list of approved at-home diagnostic tests and their expiration dates.”
Sexton said that free test kits still can be ordered at www.covid.gov/tests. Each household can order four test kits. There are two types of test kits. A viral test kit indicates whether a person is actively infected. An antibody test kit will indicate whether a person has been infected in the past. Regardless of which test is chosen, there may be other ways for individuals to obtain kits at little or no cost.
“If you get them through a pharmacy, health insurance plans will pay for them,” said Sexton.
By law, insurance companies are required to cover up to $12 of the cost of a COVID test. Some plans will pay for the tests up front. Others may reimburse the cost, so keeping receipts is important in the event that a person is required to pay.
Currently, CVS Pharmacy and Walgreen’s provide on-site COVID testing in Howard County. Participants are asked to bring their insurance information with them. Those without insurance will need to provide their Social Security number or have a state-issued identification card with them.
Testing isn’t a defense against COVID. Good hygiene practices are. And vaccines provide the best level of protection. Just because the disease has been around awhile doesn’t mean there isn’t a risk of serious or fatal illness.
“You have to be concerned about variants that may come about,” said Sexton. “The better we do at getting individuals vaccinated and getting some protection against hospitalizations and deaths, the better our future will be in regard to COVID.”
The health department recommends that people get the two initial vaccinations against the disease, along with a bivalent booster six months after initial vaccination. Vaccines are still available at no charge through the health department. To schedule a vaccination, call the department at 765-456-2408, Option 1 for nursing.