As flu and respiratory illnesses continue to spread across the commonwealth, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office is implementing additional testing protocols for certain death investigations.

It’s the first time the office has done so.

Coroner Daniel Buglio said that the office will collect post-mortem nasal swabs if the person passed away at home and had symptoms of a respiratory illness.

Specimens will be tested for influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), he said.

“This is a practice that was not typically done in the past,” Buglio noted. “However, this is the first time I am requiring each deputy coroner to complete a nasal swab for every investigation where it is indicated under the new procedures.”

The change, he said, is based on recent significant increases in influenza and other respiratory illnesses.

Since the start of Pennsylvania’s flu and respiratory virus season on Sept. 28, there have been 61,139 flu cases and 7,624 RSV cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Seventy-one deaths are attributed to the flu and at least 13 to RSV. Hospitals have admitted 9,400 with the flu and 2,100 with RSV.

As the numbers rise, Buglio said deputies investigating at-home deaths have learned that some had respiratory illnesses or cold- or flu-like symptoms before their passing.

“By implementing this measure, I am taking a proactive approach to ensure we can accurately determine whether a respiratory illness was a contributing factor to the death or, in some cases, the primary cause of death,” Buglio said.

The new protocols also assist with public health surveillance efforts, he noted.

Buglio said that the handful of swab collections tested so far have revealed negative results.

“There are a few that are pending as we have not received the results back yet,” Buglio said earlier this week.

The state Health Department tracks diagnosed cases of flu, which typically include symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue.

The department also tracks RSV, which often presents with runny nose, congestion, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever and wheezing.

During the current season, department data shows Carbon County with 546 flu cases; Schuylkill with 1,182; Monroe with 1,929; Northampton with 2,778; and Lehigh with 3,548.

RSV cases by county are: Carbon, 40; Schuylkill, 85; Monroe, 134; Northampton, 233; and Lehigh, 405.

The data further shows that emergency department visits for those with respiratory symptoms spiked across the state following the Christmas and New Year holidays but had gone down the week ending Jan. 10.

During that week, about 15% of emergency department visitors had respiratory symptoms. Of them, about 4% were diagnosed with the flu and 0.39% had RSV, data notes.

“Following the winter holidays, respiratory virus activity often shows a short-term decline due to reduced social mixing,” according to a Health Department spokesman.

Despite the recent drop, the department and area medical professionals expect that the viruses won’t let up and will increase as the weeks wear on.

Previous respiratory virus seasons have had similar decreases in the beginning of January

“In Pennsylvania, this drop was followed by a sharp rebound in influenza activity in each of the past two seasons once schools and colleges returned to session and normal mixing patterns resumed,” the department said.

On Thursday, Mark Prezioso, associate chief medical executive, said JeffExpress Urgent Care (formerly Lehigh Valley Health Network ExpressCARE) centers, including those walk-in clinics in Palmerton, Fogelsville and Lehighton, have been busy.

“We are currently seeing a rise in patient volume and are expecting things to become busier in urgent care as we see an uptick in flu cases around the region,” Prezioso said,

Folks have also been visiting LVHN/Jefferson Health emergency departments, according to Justin Stauffer, director of emergency department APC Operations.

“We are most certainly seeing a significant rise in patient volume, with respiratory viruses such as influenza dominating the increased volumes,” Stauffer said. “While the influenza season started a bit later this year than previous years, it’s not unusual to see a spike after the holidays when people tend to gather.”

The 2024-25 flu season peaked in February and ended with 237,153 cases and just over 40,000 hospitalizations reported to the Health Department.

While no flu season is exactly the same, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has forecasted that this year will likely have a similar number of combined peak hospitalizations compared to last season.

First National Pharmacy in Lehighton has been seeing a rise in prescriptions prescribed for the flu, and over-the-counter medications that can provide relief are selling, too.

Pharmacist Dave Silvonek said he and his staff are filling prescriptions for Tamiflu, a flu treatment, and keeping shelves stocked with items like ibuprofen, acetaminophen and medicines that can ease congestion symptoms.

“We are still giving the flu shots and RSV vaccines,” Silvonek said.

The Department of Health advised that getting vaccines against the viruses remains the single most effective protection from severe illness, hospitalization, and death from the viruses.