Health officials brace for surge with virus season ramping up

“While this season’s combined peak hospitalization rate is expected to be similar to that of last year, a higher combined peak rate remains possible,” according to the CDC.

As winter approaches in the Northwest Corner, local health officials say a wave of seasonal viral respiratory illness, from flu, RSV, COVID-19 and a mélange of other viruses, may not be far behind.

Already, area clinics are seeing a rise in colds, parainfluenza and stomach viruses, such as norovirus, an early sign that the 2025-2026 respiratory virus season could arrive sooner, and hit harder, than usual.

“So far, we’ve seen a handful of COVID cases, very small amounts of flu. It could be that we simply are not yet in the viral respiratory season yet,” said Dr. Ron Santos, medical director of Sharon Hospital’s Emergency Department.

Santos, who also serves as the hospital’s chief of staff, said some neighboring areas are already feeling the impact.

“Another provider in New Jersey said they are seeing a ton of COVID and flu,” Santos said.

He noted that his wife, a labor and delivery nurse who also works at a CVS pharmacy in Great Barrington, Mass., recently came home and reported an uptick in respiratory illnesses there.

“I think it just hasn’t come up to our neck of the woods yet,” said Santos.

Early signs point to a busy season

The virus season typically begins with RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) starting in October and early November, “and builds momentum around November and December and peaks in January or February,” according to Dr. Ulysses Wu, an infectious disease specialist with Hartford HealthCare.

“We don’t limit respiratory virus season to RSV, covid and flu. We lump them into the annual virus season with 10 or 15 other pathogens out there that people need to be aware of.”

Those include rhinovirus, the most common cause of the common cold; adenovirus, which causes a wide range of illness from mild cold-like symptoms to more severe infections like pneumonia, pink eye and gastroenteritis; pertussis, a highly contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory system; and parvovirus, which is more common in children than adults and causes an itchy rash, among other seasonal pathogens.

Dr. Wu noted that the reason COVID-19, RSV and flu grab the most headlines is because “these are the ones you can get a vaccine for. But we are still seeing all these other respiratory viruses that are happening.”

Vax fatigue, new COVID variant raises concerns

Vaccination rates for both influenza and the updated COVID-19 boosters remain low statewide. Health officials attribute this partly to pandemic fatigue and a misplaced sense of security after last winter’s surge subsided.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Aug. 31 that COVID-19 hospitalizations could rise higher than last season, particularly among older adults and those with weakened immune systems, and if a new variant emerges.

In its annual outlook, the agency cited declining vaccine uptake and the potential impact of a new, faster-spreading variant as key risk factors.

“While this season’s combined peak hospitalization rate is expected to be similar to that of last year, a higher combined peak rate remains possible,” according to the CDC.

“This underscores the need to plan and prepare for the possibility of a higher peak,” driven by several factors, including the emergence of a new COVID variant with an increased ability to evade the body’s prior immunity or a new variant associated with higher clinical severity.

The CDC further noted the “predominance of an influenza subtype with more severe outcomes” and lower vaccine uptake or effectiveness could make for a severe season of viral sickness.

Clinicians across the Northwest Corner are reporting early cases of norovirus, parainfluenza and the common cold, with children and older adults most affected.

The start of the 2025-26 school season coincided with a surge in early pediatric cases, according to Dr. Sarah Humphreys, chief medical officer of Community Health & Wellness Center, which operates facilities in North Canaan, Torrington and Winsted.

“Right now, it’s pretty low,” she said of circulating viruses, “but it was peaking around the end of September,” around the same time school reopened and indoor gatherings increased. “It was another type of respiratory virus of which there are hundreds,” she said of the early outbreak.

Simple steps, big impact

Doctors say there’s still time to act.

The best defense includes getting vaccinated, washing hands frequently, staying home when sick, and maintaining good indoor ventilation.

Regarding a slow uptake toward vaccinations, Dr. Wu noted, “People know what they need to get. Some are just drawing a line in the sand about what they are going to get and what they are not going to get. There should be no confusion about it.”

Health professionals also strongly encourage wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings, particularly for those who are older, immunocompromised or live with individuals at higher risk.

Humphreys said she “stands by the original CDC recommendation, which is an annual booster and then every six months,” particularly for those with underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, COPD, obesity and those concerned about acquiring long COVID, which can lead to “very debilitating symptoms that can last.”

The Connecticut Department of Public Health recommends everyone get the new flu shot each year, unless advised otherwise by your doctor, and most adults can get one COVID-19 shot each year, although adults who are at a higher risk of getting very sick should get two shots.

Adults who are 50 to 74 years old and are high-risk should get one RSV shot, one time. “This is not an annual shot and should not be repeated every year,” according to DPH.

Residents can visit www.ct.gov/dph for vaccination sites and updates on respiratory virus trends across the state.