The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention caution that the peak of the respiratory virus season is still to come. The respiratory virus season is well under way in the US. Low vaccination rates put a lot of people at risk for serious illnesses and put additional load on the health care system.
Hospitalisations from COVID-19 are rapidly increasing. Public health experts have been monitoring an increase in children’s multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which is brought on by COVID-19, since the summer. The majority of the country is seeing an increase in influenza activity. RSV activity is still high in several regions,” the CDC stated in a Thursday website update.
“Child hospital beds are already almost as full in some regions of the nation as they were at this time last year. Hospitals and emergency rooms may once more be under stress by the end of this month if current patterns persist. Patients with other critical health issues may have delays in receiving care due to strain on the healthcare system.”
“A mishmash of respiratory ailments is emerging. We’ve seen COVID, RSV, and influenza. Thus, a large number of people currently have viral illnesses “at Endeavour Health Edward Hospital, according to Dr. Jonathan Pinskey.
Hospitalisations in the last four weeks have increased by 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV across all age categories, according to the CDC.
Hospitalisations from flu are rising at the fastest rate.
According to CDC data, for the week ending November 25, there were over 8 hospitalisations for respiratory viruses per 100,000 individuals in the US, which represents a 52% increase over the previous month. Hospitalisations due to influenza and RSV are increasing more quickly, while COVID-19 still accounts for the majority of those cases.
Hospitalisations due to respiratory viruses have decreased by around 50% this season as compared to the same period last year. However, the most recent CDC prediction indicates that hospitalisation rates for this season would be significantly higher than those from pre-pandemic seasons, with a comparable number of hospitalisations expected as last season.
“Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against serious outcomes of these viral respiratory illnesses,” according to the CDC, and “high immunisation uptake could reduce the number of hospitalisations substantially.”
COVID, RSV, flu hospitalizations on the rise this holiday season
However, vaccination rates are still low, and in light of the rising prevalence of respiratory diseases, the CDC stated on Thursday that there is a “urgent need” to increase immunisation coverage.
Where viruses are spreading Flu-like activity is most prevalent in the South, however CDC data indicates that levels are high or moderate in over half of US states. For six weeks running, doctor visits for influenza-like illness—which manifests as fever, cough, or sore throat—have exceeded the national baseline; additionally, they have surpassed the baseline in each of the ten geographic zones.
According to CDC estimates, at least 3.7 million cases, 38,000 hospital admissions, and 2,300 flu-related deaths have occurred this season.
The level of Covid-19 viral activity found in wastewater, which is a prime sign of transmission, is high and rapidly increasing across the country. The Midwest has the greatest levels, and according to CDC wastewater data, Covid-19 is spreading there more than it has since the Omicron wave two years ago.
There are indications that the US RSV epidemic may have peaked, as test positivity rates and ER visits have begun to decline. With the exception of the peak of the previous season, RSV hospitalisation rates are still greater than they have been over the previous five years.
This season, hospitalisation rates for respiratory viruses have been highest among seniors overall. Since the beginning of October, almost 230 out of every 100,000 adults 65 and older have been hospitalised due to RSV, flu, or Covid-19. However, small children have also reported high rates. Almost majority of the respiratory illnesses that hospitalised 33 out of every 100,000 children under the age of five in the week ending December 2 were caused by RSV.
In addition to immunisation, the CDC advises testing, treatment, and “everyday prevention measures” to help lessen the effect and transmission of sickness, such as concealing sneezes and coughs and staying at home while ill.
CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen stated at a Tuesday event, “These tools that protect us – vaccines… testing and treatment and washing hands and ventilation and masks – all of these things are layers of protection that help make sure that we can weather this season.”
