Crittenden County at ‘critical risk’ level for illnesses

Flu, COVID-19, other seasonal sickness hitting Northeast Arkansas counties

By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@gmail.com

If you’re planning a big get-together or a night out over the next few days, you might want to reconsider.

The Arkansas Department of Health’s weekly flu update shows the state is dealing with a spike in a number of contagious illnesses, most prevalently the flu.

The report also compares influenza-like-illness (ILI) in Arkansas to activity in the U.S. ADH receives reports of only a fraction of flu cases since it only requires reports of hospitalizations, deaths, and outbreaks. Therefore, it is important to understand that the information in the weekly update is representative of the timing and location of activity, but it does not reflect the overall burden of disease. It is presumed that there are many more people actually affected than the report shows. Clinicians and policy makers may find the report helpful in terms of communicating to colleagues and patients about the current status of the flu season.

Report Key Points

• For Week 52, Arkansas reported “High” or 10 out of 13 for Influenza-Like-Illness (ILI) activity level indicator determined by data reported to ILINet.

• Since October 2, 2022, over 18,800 positive influenza tests have been reported to the ADH by health care providers.

Please note that reported cases reflect only a portion of the actual numbers of flu cases in the state.

• Among flu antigen tests this season that can distinguish between influenza A and B virus types in Arkansas, 92 percent were influenza A, and 8 percent were influenza B.

• Nearly 5 percent of patients visiting emergency rooms this week were there for ILI (Syndromic Surveillance). Over 4 percent of outpatient visits

See FLU, page A2

Data courtesy of healthweather.us

Data shows Crittenden County to be one of 11 Arkansas counties designated at “critical risk” for illnesses including COVID-19 and the flu, with a rise in cases this week, particularly in Northeast Arkansas.

From page A1

were for ILI (ILINet sentinel providers).

• No school absenteeism rate last week among public schools due to the holidays.

• Arkansas reported 108 influenza-related deaths this flu season, including 1 pediatric death. Of these, 77% were not vaccinated.

• CDC estimates so far this season, there have been at least 20 million illnesses, 210,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 deaths from flu nationwide.

• 20 nursing homes and other institutions have reported influenza outbreaks this season.

• Nationally, the proportion of deaths reported to the National Center for Health Statistics attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P& I) is above the epidemic threshold this week.

Independent health and wellness research comany Kinsa HealthWeather also offers words of warning for Crittenden County residents, placing the county into its ‘critical risk’ category with a 71/100, one of 11 Arkansas counties with the designation.

“The smartest thing to do is cancel any indoor gatherings and plan for grocery pick-up or delivery,” says HealthWeather. According to their data, which breaks risk factors down to the county level, COVID-19 cases are high and rising, flu cases are high and steady, with the additional threat of colds and other illnesses including stomach bug, the common cold, strep and other seasonal diseases.

Crittenden County continues to see double-digit new cases of COVID-19, with 75 new cases reported this week. The ADH continues to note that the actual number of cases is likely being under

Data courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Health