Weekly emergency department visits for flu and respiratory syncytial virus have been on the rise the past few weeks, while visits for COVID-19 have decreased.
CDC data shows there were 58,451 combined visits for all three viruses for the week ending Oct. 28. Of those, 31,713 were diagnosed with COVID, 15,805 with flu and 10,933 with RSV. The previous week, there were 33,170 COVID-19 visits, 13,862 flu visits and 9,311 RSV visits.
Nationwide, key COVID-19 metrics, including new admissions, have been declining the past few weeks while RSV and flu activity ramp up. Most states continue to report minimal and low flu activity, though hospitalizations are up slightly. Meanwhile, children's hospitals have seen significant increases in the number of patients treated for RSV for the past two weeks.
While COVID-19 activity has been on the decline, experts predict the nation may see another winter uptick in December or January — the same time of the year flu tends to peak.