IDAHO, USA — While Idaho has not quite hit flu or RSV season, COVID-19 is already on the rise.
"As of last week, there were 80 Idahoans that were hospitalized with COVID-19, which was a lot higher than what we were seeing this summer," deputy state epidemiologist Katherine Turner said.
Turner said the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare mainly tracks COVID-19 through the number of hospitalizations and deaths. More than 5,500 Idahoans have died from the virus since the onset of the pandemic.
The state stopped tracking the number of cases in May after the federal government ended the national public emergency. Turner said even while they were monitoring cases, the data did not mean much because the state only heard about a third to one-half of the actual cases.
Some people took at-home tests and did not report positive results to the state, she said.
"What we really need to look at is trend," Turner said. "If there's more cases, there's going to be more hospitalizations. If there's less cases, there's going to be less hospitalizations."
Christine Hahn, Idaho Division of Public Health medical director, said the current COVID spike is pretty comparable to previous years, although it is always hard to predict what the future holds.
"It is still early," she said. "We don't know how bad it is going to get."
As far as what flu and RSV season might look like, Hahn said the flu season winter in the Southern Hemisphere was "pretty decent," and the flu vaccine worked well.
Because of those reasons, she said they are hopeful the flu vaccine developed in the U.S. will also work well this year. In addition to flu shots, people also need to think about COVID vaccines and the new RSV vaccine aimed toward seniors.
While the Department of Health and Welfare recommends getting vaccinated in preparation for the fall respiratory season, Hahn said it is always a good idea for people to talk to their doctor.
"It's really getting more and more complicated," she said. "We understand that it's a lot to think about, and weighing which ones to get and in which order to get them or whether you can get them together, all that can be best discussed with your healthcare provider if you're not sure."
The state and some cities, like the City of Boise, still test wastewater for COVID-19. A City of Boise spokesperson said they plan to continue testing for the foreseeable future.
To protect Idahoans most vulnerable population, Turner said the Department of Health and Welfare continuously reaches out to various long-term care facilities to ensure their staff has all the resources they need to help prevent viruses from spreading.
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