As more students gather inside for school and college, Colorado is starting to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases, likely to continue into the fall, as the annual RSV and flu season sets in. 

However, this season doctors will be able to offer residents at highest risk new prevention steps with the release of new RSV vaccines and antibody injections. RSV is a common respiratory virus and the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the U.S. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are also expected out in September. 

Public health officials have tracked a “mini-surge” in COVID that started during the middle and end of the summer through a rise in hospitalization, the percentage of people testing positive at sentinel labs and waste water samples. While the state’s numbers of total cases is likely unreliable because residents can test at home, the data from other sources shows the virus is circulating more widely, said Bernadette Albanese, co-medical director of El Paso County Public Health.

Compared to previous peaks, few people are hospitalized, with 112 people currently in treatment statewide an increase of 12 cases compared to the previous week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment data shows. 

The Southern Hemisphere saw a rise in COVID cases early in the season before the flu and RSV took off outpacing COVID, said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth. So it’s possible that pattern will continue in the U.S.

More advanced mathematical models developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the pandemic haven’t provided a clear picture of what to expect yet, and it’s unknown if all three respiratory viruses will peak at the same time or how effective the new COVID vaccine will be, Albanese said. As the season progresses, however, the models should allow national health care systems to plan a few weeks ahead. 

Adding COVID into the winter mix of viruses will likely make for a busy respiratory season, she said. But it’s still unknown whether COVID will remain part of the cold and flu season. 

So far, in UCHealth hospitals the uptick in COVID cases has been a blip compared to the pandemic, and it demonstrates the virus is now endemic like the flu, Barron said. 

“It’s a relief,” she said. 

It’s possible that flu will start circulating in October and peak in November based on patterns in the Southern Hemisphere, a UCHealth news release said.  

The strains of COVID-19 circulating are still descendants of the omicron variant, meaning it will spread quickly through the population, but most people will not get severely sick, Barron said.

Still, residents should seek out vaccines appropriate to protect them against winter viruses, including the updated COVID-19 vaccines and new RSV vaccines expected to be released for older adults and pregnant moms. The vaccines are expected to allow pregnant women to pass along immunity to newborns to can be particularly susceptible to RSV, a disease known for causing a deep cough commonly called croup. 

The RSV vaccines went through the standard review process required by the FDA, not the accelerated version COVID-19 vaccines were put through.

“This has been in the making for a long time. … I am so excited they got through those hoops,” Barron said. 

Older adults should consult with their doctors about getting the RSV vaccines expected to be most beneficial for those conditions such as chronic lung disease, asthma, diabetes, and other disorders that impact breathing. 

New antibody injections for newborns under 8 months old can also prevent severe RSV disease, Albanese said. The injections may also help children between 8 and 19 months if they have specific conditions. 

The new COVID vaccines are expected to follow the same pattern as flu vaccines and so these vaccines are not considered boosters, but rather new vaccinations, she said. 

To help prevent the spread of viruses, residents are encouraged to wash their hands, stay home when sick, and use masks if they feel they need to protect their own health. 

If residents do fall ill this winter and are unable to eat or drink or have trouble breathing, they should seek help. 

“Don’t wait that you get to that point you are so sick that you end up having complications,” Barron said. 

A nurse administers a pediatric dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a girl at a L.A. Care Health Plan vaccination clinic in January in Los Angeles. COVID-19 is spreading more widely in Colorado ahead of the annual cold and flu season.

getty images via TNS