Emergency COVID-19 funding has dried up, making it harder to monitor the virus even though it seems to be less of a problem than during the height of the pandemic.

But that doesn’t mean Yolo County residents are any less safe as a combination of old and new viruses are emerging, according to Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson, who recently briefed the Board of Supervisors on future dangers.

Emerging threats include not only the flu but also respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which can infect the nose, throat, lungs, and breathing passages and can be life-threatening to babies, seniors, and those with weakened immune systems or lung or heart disease.

Then there is avian influenza, or bird flu, which has been spreading across the United States and has now been seen in humans and retail raw milk. Those most at risk right now are dairy and poultry workers.

Regarding COVID-19, Sisson told supervisors that as emergency funding has dried up, healthcare workers have less information about how and where it is spreading. Nonetheless, fewer people in California are dying from the disease, accounting for less than 6% of deaths in December 2022 and less than 1% in December 2024.

In Yolo County, although monitoring isn’t as rigorous as it once was, wastewater is still being checked in Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento, where she said the COVID virus is unseasonably low.

Sisson reported that there has been a significant dip in cases from December 2024 and January 2025, compared to the same months in previous years, but that it’s still “too soon to tell whether a new seasonal pattern is emerging or if it’s a seasonal anomaly.”

She also noted that people who received a COVID-19 inoculation last year were half as likely to develop a COVID-19 infection.“Vaccines work,” she said, adding that an updated vaccine is now available from medical providers as well as retail pharmacies and is recommended for everyone six months and older.

“While COVID activity is low, at least three other viruses are circulating at high levels right now,” Sisson warned.

Seasonal influenza, RSV, and norovirus — a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea and is sometimes called the “stomach flu” or the “stomach bug” — are on the rise, with high levels detected in wastewater since last October.

Sisson added that norovirus is killed by soap and hot water, but not hand sanitizer.

She suggested people contracting these diseases wear masks to avoid spreading them to others. The amount of time needed to wear a mask is dependent on the illness.

Regarding bird flu, Sisson said it has been spreading from wild birds to poultry, to cows, pets and humans. Specifically, she added that while no one has been hospitalized with bird flu in California there have been 37 confirmed human cases reported as of Jan. 8.

Of those cases, 36 were dairy workers with one child also exposed in Alameda County by some unknown fashion. To date, however, all those infected have had mild symptoms and there has been no human-to-human spread.

She also reported that 707 infected dairy cattle have been reported in the state since August 2020, with 99 commercial flocks of chickens, 36 backyard flocks and 23 million birds affected as of Jan. 10.

“By now you’re probably wondering why I’ve been spending all this time talking about a disease that has only infected 37 people to date,” she said of the avian flu. “It’s less about this current virus and more about what it could morph into.”

If the mutates, it might more easily spread from animals to humans, who would then spread it to others.

She said people can generally protect themselves against bird flu by avoiding contact with infected animals, including wild birds, avoiding raw milk and raw milk products, getting a seasonal flu vaccine to reduce the risk of “co-infection,” and avoiding feeding raw dairy or poultry products to pets.

For those who regularly come in contact with poultry, cows or wildlife, she suggested wearing personal protective equipment for the eyes, a respirator as well as gloves, and boots. Other protective measures for those in at-risk industries include washing one’s hands, especially before eating, drinking and touching their face, and changing their clothes before going home.

Finally, Sisson said medical officials will continue to monitor wastewater countywide, do routine dairy herd testing at UC Davis, watch those admitted to emergency rooms for flu-like symptoms, offer on-site seasonal flu vaccines for dairy and poultry workers, provide personal protective equipment if needed, and follow reports from state and federal agencies for any severe human-to-human transmission.