ANN ARBOR – Flu season is in full swing and a surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections has resulted in some hospitals being overwhelmed with those needing help.
The Washtenaw County Health Department has introduced a new data page that displays the weekly rates of COVID-19, RSV and influenza hospitalizations rates among county residents.
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Data for the resource comes from the Michigan Disease Surveillance System and will be updated every Wednesday, health officials wrote.
Recorded hospital admissions for each virus start on Oct. 1, and are presented grouped by age ranges including 0-4, 5-17, 18-49, 50-64, 65-79 and 80+.
The RSV chart shows that most hospital admissions from Oct. 1 to Nov. 19 were those ages 0-4 years old.
Residents in age groups 65-79 and 80+ make up most of the hospitalizations for COVID-19 since Oct. 1, whereas flu-based hospital admissions are not dominated by any one age group.
Take a look at the charts here.
Authorities noted that data is provisional and can change, so those interpreting the data should use caution.
What is RSV?
RSV is a respiratory virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms within 4 to 6 days of infection.
Some of those infected may recover in a week or two but the virus can cause serious illness in infants or older adults.
Symptoms include cough, runny nose, fever, wheezing, loss of appetite and sneezing.
Read: Surge of RSV leads to pediatric bed shortages at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
Influenza and COVID-19 symptoms range from fever or chills, cough, headache and fatigue to headache, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of smell.
Check out WCHD resources below for more information about each virus.