About half of the United States — 22 states, including Washington DC, New York City and Puerto Rico — have high or very high respiratory disease activity as flu season sweeps across the country several weeks earlier than usual. is reported.
Multiple respiratory viruses are circulating nationwide, including influenza, RSV, and the virus that causes COVID-19. tweeted on thursday That flu contributes to a “substantial proportion” of that circulation.
In addition, influenza activity continues to increase. After nearly doubling in the last week of October, the number of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths this season increased significantly in the first week of November. CDC quote now As of November 5, there were at least 2.8 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 1,300 flu deaths.
Influenza is notoriously difficult to predict.
“There’s a bit of a saying among people who study flu: ‘If you’ve seen one flu season, you’ve seen one flu season.'” Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Medical Director of the National Infectious Diseases Foundation. “The implication is that they’re all a little bit different from each other, and that’s certainly the case.”
According to CDC data, there are about 5 flu hospitalizations for every 100,000 people this season, a rate typically seen in December or January. And in the most recent week, about 13% of lab tests (more than 1 in 8 hers) were positive for the flu, up from 9% the week before.
While this time of year is particularly high, experts say the rest of the trend is a predictable pattern, and that an early start to flu season doesn’t necessarily mean it will last longer or become more severe. It may not be.
Lynette Brammer, an epidemiologist who leads the CDC’s national investigation, said, “This situation has been fairly consistent across our various investigations. This virus is really different and more serious than what we typically see with the flu. There is nothing to suggest that it is causing serious illness,” he said. Influenza Surveillance Team. “The flu can have serious consequences, but this year is not disproportionately compared to previous years. We don’t see many hospitalizations without many illnesses.”
Influenza activity is highest in the South, according to CDC data. walgreens data The site, which tracks prescriptions for antiviral treatments such as Tamiflu, suggests hotspots centered around Mississippi and Alabama, stretching from the Gulf Coast including Houston and New Orleans to Nashville.
RSV is showing early signs of a slowdown in the region as influenza smolders in the south. CDC data showeven though it continues to increase in other parts of the country.
Nationwide, nearly one-fifth of RSV PCR tests were positive in the first week of November, reaching levels seen a month earlier in the south. However, there are currently less than 1 in 7 RSV-positive tests in the region.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that can cause serious illness, especially in young infants, and children’s hospitals have been overcrowded in recent weeks.
Despite improvements in the South, the overall burden on children’s hospitals across the country has not diminished. Over the past few weeks, more than three-quarters of his beds in children’s hospitals and pediatric ICU beds have been used. according to federal data.
On Thursday, Dr. Brian Cummings, chief of medicine for pediatrics at Mass General Brigham, said about 2,000 cases of RSV were seen in October and more than 1,000 in the first week of November.
“It’s escalating and it’s very serious,” Cummings said at a press conference on Thursday.
Most infectious diseases are treated in urgent care facilities and emergency departments, and people are sent home, Cummings said. It puts a lot of stress, so what we’re seeing is over 250 hospitalizations for RSV alone, in addition to other viruses circulating,” he said. He said.
Cummings said the pediatric ICU is full, with seven patients awaiting transfer.
Nationwide, the threat of COVID-19 remains significantly less than it was a year ago.
Nearly 25,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the first week of November, According to CDC datathe pace is expected to stabilize for at least the next month.
As multiple respiratory viruses continue to spread, experts stress the importance of vaccination. Vaccines are available for two of the three viruses he is circulating. However, these numbers are lower than ideal.
One in five has not yet received their first COVID-19 vaccine. CDC data showless than 10% of the US population has obtained a renewed COVID-19 booster.
There are also millions fewer flu vaccines being distributed this season than at this point so far.
“With the season coming early, I worry people won’t have time to get vaccinated,” Brammer said. “But vaccines are the best tool to prevent these serious consequences.” ”
