COVID-19, Influenza, & RSV Numbers Continue to Decline in Connecticut

4-23-24: The Respiratory Viral Illnesses Charts have again been updated for the Greenwich Department of Health (GDoH) for the nation & for Connecticut. Each chart has embedded evidence/science-based resource links so you can learn more or validate the figures & trends. These charts are completely updated weekly & distributed to the Health Director & Board of Health, the Greenwich Department of Health's Division Heads, the Selectmen & their staff, & to many Town Department Heads. They are also sent to the media, the CEOs of Greenwich & Stamford Hospital and Nathaniel Witherell, as well as to many other town agencies, facilities, places of worship, & to senior, public, & group housing, special interest groups for children, adults, & people with disabilities, & for those with special needs.

As for the November/December Christian holidays where families gathered to celebrate, we have now passed the incubation periods for the worrisome triad of respiratory viral illnesses (COVID-19, RSV, & Flu) & I've not yet seen a surge, or even a blip upwards in cases, hospitalizations, or deaths, which is a great news. Things have been continuing to trend downwards. However, at sundown on 4-22-24 the Jewish religion's Passover holiday week began & will run until sundown on 4-30-24. Our Jewish friends, neighbors & family members gathered to begin their 8-day religious holiday beginning with the traditional family Passover Sedar, a sit-down meal, on the evening of day 1. Please look at the incubation periods for these three respiratory illnesses & monitor yourself & your loved ones for any signs of illness for the appropriate lengths of time.:

GENERAL INCUBATION PERIODS: INCUBATION PERIOD RANGES:

COVID-19: 6 to 7 days COVID-19: Between 1.8 to 18.87 days

Influenza: 2 days Influenza: Between 1 to 4 days

RSV: 2 to 8 days RSV: One can be contagious 1-2 days pre-symptoms

Despite our case numbers, hospitalization, & deaths dropping steadily, the accruing numbers remain sizeable enough to warrant our continued vigilance & safeguarding actions. Our Respiratory Viral Illnesses Season runs from 10-1-23 to 6-1-24. These were our seasonal numbers in each category as of 4-19-24 (powerbigov.us) (https://www.cdc.gov):

COVID-19: Cases this season: 54,387; Hospitalizations: 7,106; Deaths: 490

INFLUENZA: Cases this season 31,836; Hospitalizations: 2,028; Deaths: 101

RSV: Cases this season: 13,881; Hospitalizations: 1,586 Deaths: 83

Our nice-weather days are increasing in frequency, and this will entice more people to be out of doors, or with open windows when indoors; both are good practices to use to safeguard against spreading respiratory viral illnesses when in groups or crowds. As this year's designated Respiratory Viral Diseases Season will continue until October 1, 2024, and knowing that cases could continue to erupt beyond that arbitrary date, taking reasonable precautions are a good thing. The inherent factors that allow COVID-19, RSV, and Flu to multiply and spread remain unchanged.