Flu-like, COVID-like ER visits tick up in Asheville area

State health officials report modest increases in WNC, while respiratory illness activity remains low statewide

Asheville's 828 News NOW828newsNOWAn emergency entrance sign at Mission Hospital in Asheville. State health data show slight increases in flu-like and COVID-like emergency department visits in the Western North Carolina region that includes Buncombe County.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Emergency room visits for flu-like and COVID-like illnesses ticked up slightly in Western North Carolina in late October, according to state health officials.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported increases in both categories in Region 6, which includes Buncombe County, during the week ending Oct. 24.

Flu-like illness visits increased by 0.12 percentage points from the previous week, while COVID-like illness visits rose by 0.03 percentage points.

The increases were small, and statewide emergency department visits for respiratory illnesses held steady. Across North Carolina, 6.6 percent of ER visits involved patients with respiratory illness symptoms or diagnoses.

Hospital admissions from emergency departments involving respiratory illnesses also declined statewide, falling from 1,176 to 1,054.

COVID-19 activity continues in wastewater

Although statewide ER visits for COVID-like illness declined slightly, wastewater testing continued to show moderate COVID-19 activity.

The state’s wastewater surveillance program reported a COVID-19 viral activity level of 7.8. Influenza A and RSV activity remained very low, both registering 1.0.

Wastewater testing can detect viruses circulating in communities, even when infected people don’t seek medical care.

COVID-19 activity in wastewater has generally increased since August, according to the state’s surveillance charts. ER visits for COVID-like illness, however, remain well below levels recorded during previous respiratory virus seasons.

Flu activity remains low

Flu-like illness activity remains relatively low statewide, although ER visits increased slightly during the latest reporting week.

Last flu season, visits for flu-like illness climbed sharply in December before declining after the holidays.

For now, respiratory illness activity remains low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified North Carolina’s overall acute respiratory illness activity as very low for the week ending Oct. 24.

The state cautions that ER visits for flu-like and COVID-like illnesses don’t necessarily represent confirmed infections. The categories are based on symptoms and diagnoses that can overlap with other respiratory illnesses.

Because Region 6 includes several counties, the numbers don’t show what’s happening in Buncombe County alone.

NCDHHS updates its respiratory virus surveillance dashboard weekly, generally on Wednesdays. The latest figures are available on the state’s respiratory virus dashboard.