As of last week, about one out of four people visiting emergency departments and urgent care clinics in Virginia had respiratory illnesses, including flu (influenza), COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), according to Virginia Department of Health data.

And while the week that ended on Jan. 3 was slightly better than the one before, it’s not time to relax — this might be a temporary decrease, and this season could still be classified as “high severity” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Lisa Sollot, respiratory disease coordinator with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

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“One week is not enough data for us to actually know which direction that trend is going to go in. It’s certainly possible that we just didn’t receive as many labs that week, or maybe health care-seeking behaviors may have changed because of the holidays and because of travel,” said Sollot.

Respiratory infections were behind 20,691 ED visits last week, which made up 23.4% of all ED visits. Of those, 8.1% tested positive for flu, 0.9% for COVID-19 and 0.6% for RSV. The difference between the numbers, Sollot explained, is due to the fact that patients are not tested for all respiratory infections. In addition, people presenting with the symptoms might have had COVID-19, the flu, or RSV but missed the window for the tests to capture it, she said.

Nationally, over a half of influenza viruses that were genetically tested by CDC were classified as “subclade K strains,” which is a variant of a common type of flu and has been going around the U.S. and the world. It has spread  partly due to the fact that the current flu vaccine provides less immunity support than desired against this particular strain.

While Virginia doesn’t sequence flu viruses, Sollot said she has a pretty high degree of certainty that subclade K is in Virginia.

Each year, vaccines are made based on predictions of which strains are likely to be prevalent. Subclade K emerged months after those predictions were made. However, the existing vaccine still provides support, emphasized Sollot.

This year, Virginia is still below its respiratory illness rates compared to the 2024-2025 season, which was classified as “high severity” both locally and nationwide. In the U.S., there were 280 pediatric deaths, which was the highest since data became more reliable due to broader collection in 2004, according to a CDC report. Almost 90% of the deaths were among kids who were unvaccinated for flu but were eligible. 

This year there have been two pediatric deaths in the country. However, the rate of infection among children and adults is faster than in the 2024-2025 season.

“We’ve almost reached the peak that we were at last season, or at least the first peak, because we actually experienced two different peaks. We almost reached that, but in about two weeks’ time, as opposed to a two-month time,” Sollot said.

Overall, the illness rates are still trending upward in the U.S., and that could affect Virginia, said Sollot. “Everybody is vulnerable. Each one of us, we forget how severe COVID was and we forget how severe flu can be, because it can be very severe.” 

The good news is that there are ways to protect yourself and others, ranging from flu vaccines to washing your hands more often.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on Jan. 8, 2025, to correct the number of respiratory illness-related emergency department visits and the volume of “subclade K” flu strains found nationally.

Take action

Help protect yourself and others from respiratory illness

As respiratory illness rates remain high in Virginia, there are ways you can protect yourself and others, according to Lisa Sollot, respiratory disease coordinator at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

Here are some tips:

  • Get the flu vaccine if you haven’t yet and you’re eligible. It’s not too late in the flu season, said Sollot. Ask your doctor about what works best for you.
  • If you feel sick, stay home to prevent the spread of germs.
  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Use hand sanitizer.
  • Keep your environment around you clean, including high-touch areas like light switches, door knobs, and keyboards.
  • Keep fresh air circulating. When the weather is good, open windows to get fresh air.

Read more about respiratory illnesses and symptoms on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

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I'm Charlottesville Tomorrow's public health and safety reporter. You can catch me by email or on Facebook — I hear that's what the cool kids use these days. Let's chat!