Click here to access week 50 of the Kitsap Respiratory Illness Report.
In the week ending Dec. 16, RSV indicators in Kitsap County remained high but have begun to decrease. Influenza indicators remain elevated, and COVID-19 activity remains low.
1.9% of emergency department (ED) visits were attributable to COVID-19, 1.1% were attributable to influenza, and 0.8% were attributable to RSV. Kitsap sentinel reporting labs reported 74 positive COVID-19 tests (11.3% of specimens tested), 45 positive influenza tests (40 influenza A, 5 influenza B; 9.1% of specimens tested), and 26 positive RSV tests (10.1% of specimens tested).
On average, around 10 hospital beds at St. Michael Medical Center were in use per day for COVID-19 or influenza patients. Vital records have identified two COVID-19-associated deaths and two influenza-associated deaths occurring in the past 28 days.
At Kitsap long-term care facilities, there have been four COVID-19 outbreaks reported in the past four reporting weeks, and no influenza outbreaks.
BE AWARE: The CDC and Kitsap Public Health District issued health advisories urgently requesting healthcare providers to increase immunization coverage for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV during the winter respiratory illness season.