Sicknesses are spiking in the Richmond area

Informally, it feels like everybody is getting sick.

Scientifically, the data is backing up that it’s been a particularly brutal stretch locally.

Flu cases are significantly more prevalent in the Richmond region than they are statewide. According to VDH data, the flu represented 8% of emergency room and urgent care visits in the region last week, compared to just 5% statewide.

The norovirus is also back with a vengeance after a pandemic reprieve. CDC data shows a 36% increase in cases nationally over the past four months.

Last year, there were 2,323 norovirus outbreaks nationally, which came close to 2019, which had 2,607 cases. During the COVID years, the number plummeted, and is now beginning to recover, with the potential to exceed pre-pandemic levels.

As for COVID, so far numbers reported to the VDH locally indicate fewer cases than last winter, though that may also represent fewer visits to doctors and more informal testing of cases.

The good news? This week is traditionally the high point of the winter for illnesses.