Flu season in Colorado is back with a vengeance

This year’s virus season came roaring back with a vengeance, a top infection prevention expert said after noting that UCHealth hospitals are seeing a higher number of influenza patients than during similar times in past years.

In a news release, UCHealth cited epidemiological modeling that suggests Colorado has yet to see its peak hospitalizations from both flu and COVID-19 viruses, projecting cases will increase in the coming weeks.

“We are officially in respiratory virus season. That includes everything you can think of from the common cold to more severe illnesses, and it has begun with a vengeance,” Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth, said in a news release.

UCHealth officials said that, as of Nov. 29, influenza admissions stood at 312. In comparison, back in November of 2019, the hospital system ended that month with only 35 cases.

Every other flu season in the past five years also registered lower cases than this year so far, UCHealth said.

Projections from state epidemiological modeling indicate that Colorado will see peaks in COVID-19, flu, and RSV cases each sometime in December.

A spokesperson for UCHealth said experts are looking at two projections — “average” and “bad.” The projections show Colorado’s hospitals could see anywhere from 1,900 to more than 2,300 patients during the flu season, typically from October to April. Those numbers include flu, COVID, and RSV cases combined.

Statewide, experts tracked 517 influenza-associated cases since October. Of those cases, 222 were reported during the week that ended on November 26.

In a statement, Barron said it’s important to take precautions to keep people out of the hospital, such as by getting the vaccine against both COVID-19 and flu, and staying home when sick.

“Sometimes we have a slow start to the respiratory season,” Barron said. “Not this year. We went from nothing to hundreds of cases in a very short time frame.”