Fayetteville meeting: officials report rises in COVID, flu and RSV; discuss primary care access, vaccines and housing referrals

Hospital and public-health officials told a Fayetteville City meeting that COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases have increased since late November and early December, though officials said the rise had not created shortages in intensive-care capacity.

The uptick “is not to the pandemic levels, but we are definitely seeing an increase in the number of cases,” a Washington Regional representative said. The representative added that hospitals have not seen unusual operational strain: “Not particularly ICU level as well, but we are definitely seeing an increase in the number of cases.”

Why it matters: Panel members said the rise comes as schools return from holiday break and during an ongoing seasonal increase that has shown similar timing to last winter’s spike. Officials framed the clinical trend alongside a review of primary-care access, vaccine availability and community supports that affect health — the so-called social determinants of health.

Details of the health update

- A Washington Regional representative summarized hospital data and said the facility is seeing more patients who test positive…