Department of Medicine

Infectious disease docs: Respiratory illness season this year unlikely to see COVID-19 spikes of the past

Written by Denver Gazette | September 12, 2023

“We certainly have come a long way,” said Heather Young, an infectious disease specialist at Denver Health [and associate professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine]. “The illnesses that our patients are seeing is less severe with all of the advances.”

Cases of COVID-19 — which health experts say is here to stay as a seasonal respiratory illness like influenza — rose first and then flu infections. “We’re starting to see that signal now with all of the case numbers going up,” said Larissa Pisney, medical director of Infection Prevention for UCHealth [and associate professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine].