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Flu appears to be Colorado’s top respiratory threat in coming weeks as hospitalizations rise

RSV hospitalizations are dropping and COVID’s direction is unclear
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Posted at 10:02 AM, Dec 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-09 12:02:20-05

DENVER — Flu appears to be the top respiratory threat in Colorado for the next few weeks, as COVID-19 hospitalizations show some signs of leveling off.

Since Oct. 2, 952 people in Colorado have been hospitalized with flu, and the level of influenza-like illness was “very high,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We’re continuing to see far more people hospitalized with flu than at this time in a typical year,” said Beth Carlton, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the Colorado School of Public Health. “I think that’s the big concern for the weeks ahead.”

The return of flu and respiratory syncytial virus — a bug that causes colds for most people but can lead to severe illness — while COVID-19 remains a threat raised concerns of a “tripledemic” of lung infections this winter. That’s looking less likely as RSV hospitalizations appear to be declining. It’s less clear what’s happening with COVID-19 hospitalizations, but they didn’t rise this week.

Read the rest from our partners at The Denver Post.