Although flu season may be winding down, the recent deaths of two Island County residents prove that the seasonal illness, along with the continued presence of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, should not be taken lightly.

According to Island County Public Health, the two individuals who died from the Influenza A strain were a man and a woman in their 80s, both of whom suffered from underlying health conditions.

In a press release, Island County Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Leibrand cautioned that a second peak of the seasonal illness could occur sometime between February and April.

A recent report from the state Department of Health states that as of Jan. 28, a total of 210 lab-confirmed deaths have occurred this flu season. The flu hit its peak in the state during the first week of December, but positive test results have dropped significantly since then.

WhidbeyHealth Infection Preventionist Colleen Klamm said this year’s 2022-2023 flu season is the worst she’s seen since starting her role in 2015. So far, WhidbeyHealth has seen 296 cases of the flu.

Meanwhile, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, continue to linger, neither illness fully vanquished.

Five people died from COVID in the county within the first two weeks of 2023. Public Health’s most recent report on the virus, released Jan. 10, rates the community impact level as low. The 7-day hospitalization rate was 9.12 per 100,000 residents.

Klamm said RSV is most dangerous to children while adults generally recover. There is no treatment available, only symptom management.

“Data is difficult to appropriately capture because many people thought it was the common cold early on and did not check,” she said. “Another reason we don’t have meaningful data is because there hasn’t been much of it before this flu season.”

She pointed out that respiratory panel viral swabs for testing all of these ailments were not available prior to 2020. The respiratory panel includes 19 different viruses, including the common cold, and other viruses that used to be considered the common cold but have a different name, including the COVID strains that were prior to the COVID-19 strain.

“All are now subsiding, with rises in pockets of the population, but not at significant numbers,” Klamm said of seasonal illnesses.