Key metrics for COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus continue to fall, though flu activity is still elevated, CDC data for the week ending March 2 shows.
COVID-19 hospitalizations fell nearly 14% in the week ending March 2, marking nearly two consecutive months of decreases. All areas of the country have seen decreases in RSV activity; admission rates are also decreasing in all age groups.
Meanwhile, flu activity remains elevated in most parts of the country with some areas reporting increases. About 14% of specimens tested in clinical laboratories were positive for influenza for the week ending March 2, about the same as the previous week. Weekly flu hospital admissions also remained stable compared to the previous week, with 10,060 reported.
Eighteen states reported high levels of virus activity in the latest week for which data are available, including four that reported "very high" levels: Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico and Ohio. Washington, D.C. reported the same. In the previous week, 26 states reported high levels of activity.
Fourteen states and New York City reported high levels in the most recent week: Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Virus activity levels are a reflection of the weekly percentage of outpatient or emergency department visits for fever and cough or sore throat, according to the CDC. There are 13 activity levels, with levels 11 through 13 representing "very high" activity. States with very high activity in the most recent week reported levels between 11 and 12.