BEND, OR -- Respiratory viruses are the holiday gift no one wants. But RSV, flu and COVID-19 are still spreading. Deschutes County Public Health's Dr. Rita Bacho told Bend City Council this week, "There’s been a surge. Hospitalizations are reaching a crisis point in adult and pediatric beds. OHA has arranged for more nurses to come to Oregon and help hospitals staff additional beds."

According to St. Charles, local hospitals are at 91% capacity, as of Thursday. State-paid traveling nurses are expected to arrive January ninth.

Dr. Bacho says our most recent flu data shows a 29% test positivity rate, which is the highest for this point in the season going back to 2017, "I did not compare to the pandemic period because, obviously because of mask mandates and other precautions we took, the data was skewed. So, I compared it to pre-pandemic, just to have a realistic view of what is going on."

The RSV positivity rate is also elevated, at 14%. But, she told Councilors, "We are still doing better than the state [is doing], but compared to previous years, we’ve seen the highest increase."

COVID-19 cases are also up compared to a month ago. But Dr. Bacho said, "There has been a decline in COVID deaths. Of 59,919 total COVID cases reported in Deschutes County, 372 - which is 0.62% - have died."

Dr. Bacho says flu shots and bivalent COVID boosters are widely available around the region, and County Public Health is conducting outreach in marginalized communities.