Colorado has wrapped up its first relatively ordinary respiratory disease season since the pandemic began, with no unusually large or strangely timed spikes in illness.
But with COVID-19 still in the mix, this new normal still means a higher level of severe illness and death than the state experienced before 2020.
In the fall of 2020 and 2021, Colorado and the country as a whole saw large waves of COVID-19, but almost none of the usual illnesses from flu and respiratory syncytial virus. RSV causes colds for most people, but can be severe for babies and older people, particularly those with other health conditions.