Johnson County is seeing a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases as the fall flu season starts. The county health department is encouraging people to get tested and vaccinated for the new season.

According to national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, their latest COVID-19 report shows a 7.7 percent test positivity rate, a 3.6 percent hospitalization rate, and a 1.9 percent death rate last week.

The Johnson County Public Health Department reports that at the end of September, there was moderate COVID-19 activity in the county, but numbers are still down from this time last year. Positive test rates came in at 14.3 percent compared to 15.2 percent last year. Four deaths were reported, down from 12 the previous year.

Rachel Quinn, disease prevention specialist for the Johnson County Health Department, talked about preventative measures for respiratory virus season and COVID-19.

“We always put out advertisements about the vaccines and on our social media posts about precautions and reiterate current COVID guidance as it changes and people get confused,” Quinn said.

According to the Johnson County Health Department and the CDC, masks are recommended for spaces where there is a higher risk for COVID-19 transmission.

Additionally, it recommends that fully vaccinated people who have come into close contact with someone suspected of or confirmed positive for COVID-19 be tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test.

Quinn also noted that since many people go to the hospital when sick and most hospitals do a full respiratory panel, many will indeed be seen and tested for COVID-19, so it will be easier to detect.

Samuel Jarvis, Johnson County Community Health manager, said it is important for people to take advantage of vaccines to avoid getting sick.

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“As we’re entering this respiratory virus season, first and foremost, we want folks to know that the new COVID vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine are available now, and we want to encourage folks to make a plan to get [them] this fall,” Jarvis said.

Jarvis made note that even though there have been spikes in COVID-19 numbers now, it is not as pronounced as what has been observed before.

“Folks remember when we would have urges and spikes, but that is also due to folks probably not testing as much. Obviously, folks have different levels of immunity from vaccination and previous immunizations. But, as always, we’re monitoring what the respiratory virus season looks like as we head into the fall,” Jarvis said.

Jarvis also talked about how subjective COVID-19 perception is in 2024 compared to initial thoughts during lockdown during 2020.

“There’s others who know of people who have passed away due to COVID or the flu, so depending on who you are, it can be quite concerning,” Jarvis said.

Additionally, Jarvis said the federal government has announced that people can once more order free at-home COVID-19 test kits through the United States Postal Office.

For students, UI is still offering free test kits that can be picked up at the Iowa Memorial Union or the Westlawn Student Health Clinic.

“It’s important to know if you’re ill or not with COVID because you can form your decisions on how long you’re staying at home or masking,” Jarvis said.