CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two new flu-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina this week, bringing the total to nine deaths in the state so far this flu season.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released new data on Wednesday also showing a rise in all three respiratory illnesses after Thanksgiving.
“We are seeing further increases after the Thanksgiving holiday and anticipate after Christmas, after all the holidays coming up, that that will continue to contribute to some spread,” said Dr. Katie Passaretti, vice president and chief epidemiologist at Atrium Health.
Leading the surge are the flu and RSV -- flu cases are up by 40% compared to last week and RSV cases are up by 26%.
Because of these concerning trends, Atrium Health is implementing visitor restrictions at hospitals, as well as behavioral health and rehab centers for visitors aged 12 and younger starting Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7 a.m.
However, there are some exceptions, like in the case of a dying family member.
For those who can visit, a mask is required when entering the room of patients in high-risk settings. This includes acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals and units; emergency departments (including freestanding ED locations), skilled nursing facilities, behavioral health, inpatient hospice, infusion centers, and certain cancer care areas, including outpatient bone marrow transplant clinics.
Doctors across the Carolinas have warned that RSV continues to be a growing concern among young children and infants.
“RSV is one of those infections that unfortunately, like flu, disproportionately has severe effects for younger children," Dr. Peter Salib, an OB-GYN doctor at Novant Health, said. "So especially the newborn to six-month age range, those babies are going to be at the highest risk of having complicated infections and hospitalization.”
People are still encouraged to get vaccinated and keep their children up-to-date on vaccines.
“You still have a couple of weeks before Christmas, New Year's comes around,” said Dr. Passaretti. “So, if you haven't and you're not up to date on your flu, your COVID vaccine, or gotten your RSV vaccine, there's still time to do so.”
Health experts also urge that you stay home when sick and maintain good hygiene and respiratory etiquette as the rampant virus season continues.
Atrium Health said they are keeping an eye on state data on the viruses. If those numbers continue to increase, those restrictions will remain in place, with more added if needed.
If trends start to turn around and drop consistently for a few weeks, hospital leadership will look to see if they can drop or decrease those measures.
Novant Health is also keeping an eye on state data on all those viruses. A spokesperson shared this statement:
While Novant Health does not have visitor restrictions in place at this time, we continue to monitor the spread of respiratory viruses in our facilities and communities. Anyone experiencing respiratory virus symptoms is encouraged to help control the spread of the illness by not visiting patients in the hospital.
To reduce the risk of contracting a respiratory illness, Novant Health recommends frequent handwashing with soap or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; not touching eyes, nose or mouth with the hands; and getting an annual flu vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine and/or recommended boosters.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.