Respiratory Viral Infections Continue to Decline/Long-COVID cases grow

The numbers of cases of COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza in Connecticut continue to decline. We have not yet seen a change in that trend despite our recent Easter Holiday get-togethers. We'll know within about a week if this holds as the state continues to tally the submitted number of cases, hospitalization, and deaths each week. We had anticipated that there might be a slight up-tick in one, two or all three of the Respiratory Viral Diseases being tracked, what with the family get-togethers and our low rates of vaccinations in all three illness categories, but so far this has not been seen.

On a related but different note, a lot more information is emerging from research studies and medical narratives on the phenomenon known as long-COVID. One Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF, 2024) analysis of the Household Pulse Survey data showed that 3 in 10 adults in the U.S. report having had COVID-19 symptoms that extended beyond 3-months, and 1 in 10 people who had COVID-19 report still having those symptoms despite the lapse of many months/years. This equates to about 17 million people in this country alone that are having to cope with life and work-disrupting symptoms such as mental fogginess and intense fatigue to name but two of them. This report can be viewed in the attached link.

It identified that as we leave the pandemic behind, the rates of long-COVID as a Sequella of a COVID-19 infection for many of us has, in fact, remained rather steady for the last year (As Recommendations for Isolation End, How Common is Long COVID? | KFF). The sad findings include that, for adults who have long-COVID, over 3/4 of them are experiencing activity limitations and that 1/4 of them report that the symptoms are limiting their activities "a lot". The survey analyzers identified that long-COVID appears more common among people who are transgender and among those with disabilities. They point out that these are two groups of people who already experience greater difficulty accessing healthcare. Earlier Kaiser Family Foundation analyses had noted higher long-COVID rates in Hispanic and Latino people and those with lower education levels, but now that so many of us have had COVID infections, this variation is less evident than it was previously. The analysis identifies that more research is needed to identify ways to improve diagnosing and treating people who develop long-COVID. Our tracking of the data shows how many people are still getting infected with COVID-19 each week in Connecticut and the country, and many are still ending up hospitalized and dead; sadly, our COVID (and RSV and Influenza) vaccine rates in every age category remain low.
As of 4-6-24 Connecticut has had 53,293 cases of COVID-19. The intensity of some people's illnesses has been such that just since the start of this season's Respiratory Viral Illnesses Season (10-1-23 to 6-1-24) we have had 6,974 people requiring hospitalization, and 481 have died. The CT-DPH has not yet entered any figures for deaths occurring in April.

We are doing fairly well right now and the Respiratory Viral Diseases Season will end on June 1st. Be aware that illnesses can continue beyond that, and that viruses mutate and change so your local, state and federal public health agencies will remain vigilant, and keep you up to date as changes for the better or worse occur.

Stay safe, consider your risk factors and those of your loved ones when planning activities and making your health decisions.

Dr. Stephanie Paulmeno, DNP, MS, RN, NHA, CPH, CCM, CDP
Public Health Promotion Specialist Greenwich Department of Health