GRANT COUNTY, WA — The Grant County Health Officer, Dr. Alexander Brzezny, has officially announced the end of the epidemic phase of the 2024/2025 respiratory illness season.
Since March 2025, emergency department visits in Grant County related to COVID-19, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have remained below thresholds set by the health officers in our region. Other indicators show that respiratory virus activity is continuing to decline.
Grant County Health District (GCHD) encourages residents to stay up to date on vaccinations and practice good hygiene to help prevent the spread of illness. Healthcare facilities may deactivate their respiratory virus or influenza epidemic policies and resume routine surveillance and precautions.
CDC: Season Overview
This season was considered a high severity season for flu and had the highest hospitalization rate since the 2010/2011 season. CDC estimates that there have been at least 590,000 hospitalizations and 26,000 deaths from flu so far this season. In contrast, hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 were lower than all previous seasons.
Grant County Season Overview
The 2024/2025 respiratory illness season was officially announced on December 27, 2024. This season peaked in early February, when 13% of all emergency department visits were related to RSV, flu, or COVID-19. Since the season began, GCHD has responded to twelve flu outbreaks in schools and long-term care facilities, and five COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
GCHD confirmed four influenza-related deaths this season. No COVID-related deaths were reported.
Although respiratory virus activity continues to decline, respiratory viruses can be unpredictable, and the situation could change. GCHD will continue monitoring seasonal (flu) and year-round (COVID-19) illnesses. Healthcare facilities are urged to continue monitoring their own respiratory illness indicators and respond accordingly.
GCHD will discontinue weekly respiratory illness season social media updates and provider notifications until the next season.
Data Limitations
In most circumstances, healthcare providers are not mandated to report respiratory illnesses and test results. COVID-19 is the exception when tests are done at a healthcare facility. At-home tests for COVID or flu are not typically reported.
To monitor respiratory illnesses in Grant County, GCHD partners with healthcare facilities, who have agreed to share their observations and results. By reporting this information, healthcare facilities assisted GCHD with surveillance and timely public notification when cases were increasing. GCHD tracks the situation in our area using regional, state and national dashboards and surveillance data in addition to the local statistics.
Mask Guidance
When visiting a healthcare facility, you should wear a mask if you have:
- Any respiratory symptoms OR
- A positive test for COVID-19 or any other respiratory illnesses.
KN95 or N95 masks are preferred, but a surgical mask is acceptable if those are not available.
L&I expectations and requirements for the use of PPE in healthcare, including masks and respirators, are included here.
COVID-19 & Other Respiratory Vaccines
Even in the warmer months, everyone 5 years and older should get 1 dose of the most recently updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. An additional COVID-19 vaccine dose is now recommended for adults 65 years or older at least 4 months following their last dose. COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness and hospitalization by about 50% compared to people not up to date on vaccination. Click here to find COVID-19 vaccine near you.
RSV, Pneumonia and influenza vaccines also help protect against severe illnesses. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about other vaccines you may need.
Contact Information
For more information contact Lexi Smith, GCHD Public Information Officer at (509) 770-4194 or lsmith@granthealth.org
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