Sick visits to the doctor for Utah County children rose more than 100% when comparing the October to December time periods of 2020 and 2021, Utah Valley Pediatrics said in an email to the Deseret News.
- Utah Valley Pediatrics said that sick visits from October in December 2021 were more than 100% higher than visits during the same time from in 2020.
What’s going on: According to Utah Valley Pediatrics, the top five illnesses reported among children during that time frame included:
- Upper respiratory infection.
- Croup.
- Sore throat (pharyngitis).
- Earache.
- Bronchiolitis.
One extra note: The upper respiratory infection cases were three times more frequent than croup, showing that the infection was exceptionally common.
Why it matters: These illnesses came at the same time as the coronavirus pandemic. As COVID-19 circulated, children across Utah County still came down with major sickness,
- “We saw an early increase in RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and other common respiratory illnesses like Adenovirus and parainfluenza, which is unusual,” Kevin Moffitt, the administrator of Utah Valley Pediatrics, told the Deseret News in an email.
- “The COVID cases picked up with omicron, which was later in the year. The only relation they have to COVID is that they are respiratory illnesses,” Moffitt added.
Yes, but: “I am not sure there is a connection other than they are airborne respiratory illnesses,” Moffit said.