‘Quad-demic’ of viral infections stokes rise in illness, medical intervention

Sharon Hospital
Archive photo
“There was a period of time when we were seeing a ton of RSV, COVID and flu come in and norovirus was hot.”
— Dr. Mark Marshall, vice president of medical affairs, Sharon Hospital
SHARON — The expected trio of winter viruses have arrived — and they brought a new friend with them.
Post-holiday cases of influenza, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus — commonly known as RSV — have spiked in recent weeks, joined by widespread cases of norovirus, commonly known as the “stomach bug.”“Definitely we’re seeing plenty of all of them,” said Dr. Mark Marshall, Sharon Hospital’s vice president of medical affairs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday, Jan. 17, that the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare remains high across the nation and in Connecticut.
“Emergency department visits related to COVID-19 are elevated compared to fall and highest among young children and older adults,” according to a CDC report. “Visits for RSV are highest among young children, and visits for influenza remain elevated among all age groups.”
In recent weeks, Sharon Hospital has experienced a spike in admissions and people seeking medical care through its Emergency Department for flu, RSV, COVID-19 and norovirus.
“I would say that the last few weeks, from mid- to late-December through the first week of January, were exceedingly busy with a large volume of patients in the emergency department and a large number of admissions to the hospital for respiratory or GI viruses,” Marshall said. “I think we may actually be on the downturn a little bit, but there was a period where we were seeing a ton of RSV and COVID and flu … and norovirus was hot.”
He described norovirus as a gastrointestinal illness which causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. Older adults and very young children, he said, are particularly prone to serious dehydration.
Unlike respiratory viruses which spread via droplets, norovirus is spread via contact, such as touching contaminated surfaces or eating contaminated food.
The CDC reported that norovirus has been more common this season, with at least 495 outbreaks as of mid-December, about 36% higher than the previous year.
Severe year for flu
The CDC reported on Jan. 15 that the number of weekly flu hospital admissions continues to rise across the country, and that in the last week, 20 children have died from influenza-associated conditions.
Nationally, influenza test positivity increased to 18.8%, COVID-19 test positivity remained stable at 6.6%, RSV test positivity decreased to 8.9% and viral activity levels for both influenza and COVID-19 are at high levels, according to the CDC.
“Influenza predictions suggest that emergency department visits will remain at a high to very high level for the next two weeks,” the federal agency reported.
Which virus do I have?
So how do you know which respiratory virus rallied your immune system?
Sharon Hospital’s Marshall noted that symptoms for the “big three” — flu, RSV and COVID-19 — are similar, as are their courses of infection and complications.
The only way to positively determine which bug has invaded your cells is to get tested.
“If you are ill and seek treatment, you can test for these viruses individually or there is even a single swab test for flu, RSV and COVID,” he explained.
Marshall stressed the importance of getting vaccinated.
“Both the updated influenza and COVID vaccines are recommended, and it’s not too late for a flu vaccine.”
Flu, COVID-19 and RSV are all more dangerous to older adults and very young children, along with people with chronic illnesses and co-morbidities, including those who are immunocompromised, noted the Sharon Hospital physician.
Vaccines, he said, have been shown to reduce ICU admissions by 25%, and deaths by 30%. “And even if people who get the vaccine still get COVID, it reduces their risk of severe disease.”
Health officials’ recommended treatment for most of these infections includes resting, staying home when sick, getting adequate nutrition, washing your hands and drinking plenty of fluids. The CDC recommends that people in the community with COVID-19, influenza or RSV should remain home until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms are improving.
Marshall also noted that there are several antiviral treatments available for at-risk people, including Paxlovid for COVID-19 and Tamiflu for influenza.
HMPV threat?
In recent weeks reports of a wave of hospitalizations from another respiratory illness known as human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, which is sweeping across China, has stoked fears of a new global pandemic.
The virus causes symptoms similar to COVID-19, including fever, persistent cough and congestion — and in severe cases leads to pneumonia.
Marshall noted that HMPV has been around for years and most people have encountered this virus in childhood. At this time, he said, he does not see it as an imminent threat.
“I don’t believe what is happening in China represents the early signs of a new pandemic.”
AMENIA — Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44.
On Wednesday, August 20, the crew was checking excavation lines.
Work is expected to continue for the next three to four weeks. Residents should anticipate minor traffic delays.
Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44. On Wednesday, August 20, excavation began. Project Manager Don D. was at the controls of the excavation equipment.Photo by Leila Hawken
In light of rising local interest in the centuries-old game of Backgammon, Wednesday afternoon backgammon instruction and play sessions are being offered at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. The first such session was held on Wednesday, Aug. 13, attracting two enthusiastic participants, both of whom resolved to return for the weekly sessions.
Expert player and instructor Roger Lourie of Sharon, along with his equally expert wife, Claude, led the session, jumping right into the action of playing the game. Claude chose to pair with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury, a moderately experienced player looking to improve her skills, while Lourie teamed himself with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, who was new to the game.
In 2023, Lourie formed Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut with two objectives: to promote the game in the northwest corner of the state and to teach it to children and adults interested in learning. In addition to the Wednesday sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, an informal, casual group meets at Le Gamin in Sharon every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.
Acting as co-chairman is Ed Corey who leads the Le Gamin sessions, offering advice and instruction. Both Corey and Lourie play competitively and have distinguished themselves by winning tournaments. There are no fees for participation at either Hotchkiss or Le Gamin. Children, ages 8 and up, are welcome to come and learn the game, along with adults of any experience level.
Lourie says that he can teach a person to play competitively in three lessons.
Sessions at The Hotchkiss Library will continue until the end of the year and perhaps beyond, depending on interest. Lourie will be the instructor until mid-November, when expert player Ed Corey will assume responsibility for the sessions at the Hotchkiss Library.
“We’re hoping for more people and also to see youngsters participating and learning the game,” Lourie said.
“The beginner can be the expert with the right dice,” said Lourie, explaining that it is a game combining chance and strategy. An understanding of mathematics and probability can be helpful.
Lourie summarized the randomness of dice and the strategy of poker. “I want to know the proper etiquette,” Kaufman offered, intent on knowing more about the proper moves, although her play indicated a credible level of skill.
Stopping in to observe the Hotchkiss session, executive director of the library, Gretchen Hachmeister said, “We know that people come to library game sessions. People love games, getting together to learn something new.”
Lourie learned the game under extremely unusual circumstances — as a detainee in a Soviet prison during the1960s missile crisis, while working in Naval Engineering to decipher code for the U.S. Office of Technological Security.
Imprisonment was not terrible, he said. There was predictable questioning by day when he repeated daily the details of his cover story. But at night, the guards — many the same age as the detainees — had finished their shifts and of interrogation.They unplugged the cameras to brew tea and the backgammon games would begin. That was how Lourie learned the game and became an expert.
Board games date back 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. Modern backgammon goes back to 17th-century England, having evolved from a 16th-century game called “Irish.”It grew in popularity in the 1960s, leading to formation of a World Backgammon Club in Manhattan. And then in 2023, Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut came to be.
To learn more about the Backgammon sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, visit: www.hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org or contact Lourie directly at Rlourie@gmail.com.
Pantry essentials at Dugazon
You are invited to celebrate the opening of Dugazon, a home and lifestyle shop located in a clapboard cottage at 19 West Main Street, the former site of The Edward in Sharon. The opening is Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.
After careers in the world of fashion, Salisbury residents Bobby Graham and his husband, Matt Marden, have curated a collection of beautiful items that reflect their sense of design, love of hospitality, and Graham’s deep Southern roots. Dugazon is his maternal family name.
“My Louisiana roots come from my mother’s family in Baton Rouge via New Orleans where many of my memories of cooking, food, antiquing, flea markets, hospitality, entertaining, originate,” Graham said.“Being raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, enhanced the importance of community, family, friends and regional cultures, forming the essence of Dugazon.”
Graham and Marden sat on the front porch telling the story of their shop’s evolution. With its wicker loveseats and geraniums in bloom, the old porch invites visitors to linger.
Matt Marden and Bobby Graham open Dugazonat 19 West Main St.in Sharon on Aug 27. Jennifer Almquist
“Bobby has been talking about Dugazon ever since our first date 21 years ago,” Marden said smiling. “I could not be more thrilled that his dream has finally become our reality.”
Graham laughed, then shared their hope that Dugazon embodies the spirit of lagniappe, a French concept of “adding a little extra to bring unexpected kindness, generosity and delight into everyday life.”
Marden worked at Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City. “Town & Country” recruited him to cover men’s fashion. He became fashion director of “Details” magazine and later style director for “Esquire” magazine.
Graham spent 24 years at Condé Nast as a Fashion and luxury advertising sales executive for “Vogue,” “GQ,” “Vanity Fair,” “AD,” and “The New Yorker.”
Within their light-filled shop, unique antiques and vintage cookbooks mix with kitchen necessities such as wooden spoons and cutting boards. Dugazon is bursting with elegant and functional items ranging from designer John Derian treasures to Louisiana hot sauce, luxurious table linens from Milan-based La Double J, and pantry essentials including Café Du Monde beignet mix, Mam Papaul’s jambalaya fixings, and various jams.
Scandinavian 19-inch tapered candles from creators ester & erik are available in 30 colors. Other offerings include vivid naïve paintings by New Orleans-born artist Alvin Batiste, who now works out of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and paper goods designed by Marden’s first cousin, Carey Marden Shaulus.
Alvin Batiste paintings and ester& erik candles on display at Dugazon.Jeff Holt
“Dugazon becoming a reality has been a lifelong dream that comes from deep in my creative soul,” Graham said.“My experiences and memories from my roots, family and friends is what Dugazon is all about. Being able to share this with the world means everything to us.”
Dugazon opens Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Phone: 860-397-5196
Instagram:@dugazonshop
Website:www.dugazonshop.com