Health officials in New York City, New York, continue to monitor the high levels of respiratory virus activity across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that half of all states, as well as New York City and Washington, D.C., are currently experiencing “high” or “very high” levels of respiratory illness activity. This includes symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat from diseases like flu, COVID, RSV, and the common cold.
The CDC data also shows that new weekly COVID hospitalizations have remained steady, with a slight uptick from the previous week. Despite this increase, COVID hospitalizations are still lower than they were at the same time last year. Most counties are reporting low hospital admission rates for COVID-19, and other metrics such as test positivity and emergency department visits have continued to decline.
While weekly COVID deaths have slightly declined, experts caution that deaths are a lagging indicator and may take some time to fall after hospitalizations. In addition to the ongoing COVID monitoring, health officials are also tracking a new variant of COVID-19, known as BA.2.87.1. Though it has been detected nine times in South Africa, there have been no reported cases in the U.S. or any other country outside South Africa.
Flu hospitalizations have also seen a slight decline, and flu activity remains elevated nationally, particularly in certain regions. The CDC estimates that there have been at least 24 million flu illnesses, 260,000 hospitalizations, and 16,000 deaths so far this season. Health officials continue to recommend that all eligible Americans receive their updated flu and COVID vaccines, as well as RSV vaccines, but vaccination rates continue to lag behind.
Among adults, the vaccination rates for flu, COVID, and RSV remain relatively low, with only about half of all children vaccinated against the flu and an even lower percentage receiving the updated COVID vaccine. As health officials continue to monitor and track these respiratory illnesses, they emphasize the importance of vaccination and preventive measures to curb the spread of these viruses.