THUNDER BAY — Fifteen people are currently hospitalized with influenza in the district, including two in the intensive care unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
That's according to the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, which issued an update on respiratory virus activity in its catchment area on Wednesday.
"All influenza indicators are elevated, indicating peak influenza activity in this area. This is likely to continue for another week or more before it starts to decrease," TBDHU stated in a message on its website.
Two people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, one of whom is in the ICU.
The health unit reported Respiratory Syncytial VIrus (RSV) activity in the district is also elevated, but the occurrence rate has stabilized after increasing in late December, indicating the RSV surge has peaked.
In terms of hospital activity, while respiratory-related emergency department visits have decreased in recent weeks after an increase in late December, they remain "high," TBDHU said, and hospital admissions for influenza and RSV remain elevated.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre issued an appeal on Feb. 7 for residents with less serious illness to seek alternative care rather than going to the emergency department where they were likely to experience long waits.
The Northwestern Health Unit, based in Kenora, on Wednesday also reported a rise in respiratory illnesses including flu cases, hospitalizations and institutional outbreaks across its service area.
Karen Batigelli, manager of infectious diseases at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, said it's not unusual to see the number of outbreaks that are active at the moment.
"It seems to have become quite common over the last couple of years. The one thing that's maybe a little bit different is that we're seeing more influenza in long-term care facilities versus previous years where it would be mostly COVID," she said in an interview.
There have been 19 flu outbreaks in institutional settings in the Thunder Bay district so far this year, compared with 39 at the same time a year ago.
"We're also seeing human metapneumovirus [HMPV]. We're seeing RSV outbreaks as well," Batigelli said. "So it seems as though the pattern of pre-COVID viruses have all kind of gained rank again, and COVID is included in one of those now."
She said although COVID appears to be on the decline right now, that doesn't mean cases won't increase next week, the week after, or any other time.
"I feel COVID is one of those viruses now that we see year-round, and it ebbs and flows."
She expects another week of elevated influenza activity before it starts to trend downward.
Flu and COVID vaccinations, Batigelli noted, can still be obtained at local pharmacies.
