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Cases of COVID-19, RSV, and influenza have declined significantly as winter moves into spring, State Epidemiologist Dr. Cherie Drenzek reported Tuesday.
On the fourth anniversary of the first reported death from coronavirus in Georgia, Drenzek told members of the state Board of Public Health the vast majority of patients hospitalized with the virus had not been vaccinated.
“There are still deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID,” she said. “But they’re drastically lower than they have been.”
In fact, cases of COVID-19 have fallen so much that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new recommendations early this month aligning strategies for preventing COVID-19 with those for RSV and the flu.
Those testing positive for COVID-19 no longer need to isolate themselves for five days, Drenzek said. Instead, those patients are advised to wait until their fever has gone away for at least 24 hours and/or until the symptoms improve before venturing outside, she said.
The CDC also has recommended that those who have been vaccinated with the most recent COVID booster get a second dose.
Drenzek said cases of flu are down significantly in Georgia after peaking in January.
“About 5% of outpatient visits are due to influenza-like illness,” she said.
Flu season this winter has been similar to the 2019-20 flu season, when the virus peaked in January and peaked again during the spring, Drenzek said.
“Whether we have another spring flu peak remains to be seen,” she said.
Drenzek said the highest number of outpatient visits by flu patients are occurring in school-age young people ranging from the ages of 5 to 24.
“School settings and university settings are high-risk areas for flu and other respiratory viruses as…
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