Respiratory illness activity remains high nationwide, with emergency department visits and positive test rates rising for COVID-19, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, according to a Jan. 3 news release from the CDC.
Eleven states, including Utah, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia Kentucky, Tennessee and New Hampshire reported "very high levels," according to the updated CDC data.
Twenty-four states, including Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and District of Columbia reported "high" levels for respiratory illness.
Here are four more updates:
- COVID-19 activity is increasing in most regions, with test positivity rising to 7.1%. Emergency department visits are also on the rise from previously low levels. The CDC anticipates continued increases in the coming weeks, though the overall impact is expecting to remain lower than earlier peaks in the pandemic.
- Flu activity is elevated across most of the country, with test positivity climbing to 18.7%. ED visits for influenza are very high, with most cases attributed to influenza A.
- RSV remains very high, particularly among young children with test positivity reaching 12.8%. ED visits and hospitalizations are also rising for RSV, particularly in pediatric populations.
- In terms of wastewater viral activity, COVID-19, influenza and RSV are at moderate levels across the country. The CDC notes that these trends suggest that respiratory illness cases will likely continue to rise over the winter months.