Respiratory illness are trending upward in Durham

With cold and flu season around the corner, Durham authorities have released a roadmap for respiratory illness trends.

Key findings found that in this week alone, standard influenza reports remain practically non-existent, as there have been zero confirmed cases or ongoing outbreaks.

However, another looming ailment has seen a major uptick throughout the Durham Region —  COVID-19.

As the report mentions, in this past week alone, there has been a nearly 12 percent positive test rate throughout the region, resulting in five recorded outbreaks and 11 hospitalizations.

The report also indicates that throughout the 2024/2025 Respiratory Season (so far) there have been 153 COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Statistical data from numerous pockets of Ontario was also referenced, citing that in general, COVID-19 cases are high provincewide.

Compared to influenza stats from the 2024/2025 Respiratory Season, COVID-19 continues to run circles around the flu, as only 25 cases of influenza have been recorded so far.

At the time of the report, 68 respiratory outbreaks have been recorded in Durham area institutions.

Detailed information surrounding these outbreaks is as follows:

• COVID-19: 49
• Influenza A: 1
• Influenza B: 0
• RSV: 2
• Other: 12

Authorities behind this week’s report encourage residents to visit the Durham Region’s official website and access the Outbreak Status Report dashboard to stay safe and healthy throughout the winter season.