Indicators of respiratory disease activity rose across the nation last week, with the Midwest and Northeast experiencing the greatest impacts of COVID and the South experiencing the highest flu activity, according to updates today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ).
Inside respiratory virus snapshot, the group said the figures cover the week ending Dec. 23 but should be interpreted with caution because of possible reporting delays during the holidays. With COVID and influenza on the rise, the CDC also reported that levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease, along with hospitalizations, remain high across most of the country, although activity is declining in some areas.
Midwest, Northeast remain COVID hot spots
The CDC severity indicators are showing more increases, with hospital admissions up 16.7% and deaths up 10% compared to the previous week. About 29,000 people were hospitalized for COVID in the week leading up to Christmas, with several counties in the Midwest and Northeast in the moderate range, with some in both regions listed as high.
COVID accounted for 3.3% of all deaths last week, with higher levels reported in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast.
Early indicators also continue to rise, with emergency department (ED) visits up 12% from the previous week. Test positivity nationally rose from 0.7% to 12.7% and, like other metrics, is higher in the Midwest and Northeast.
Wastewater monitoring from Biobot it also shows the highest virus levels in the Midwest and Northeast and reflects that nationally, the level is approaching the level seen this time last year. CDC's COVID Effluent Monitoring dashboard puts the national level at a very high level, with the highest levels in the Midwest.
Flu indicators are picking up, especially across the South
Meanwhile, in his last weekly Update FluView, the CDC reported another steady rise in disease indicators, with most of the Southeast now at its highest level of flu disease activity. New Mexico is also experiencing the highest level of flu activity.
Clinical laboratory influenza test positivity is above 20% for four regions, regions roughly spanning the Mountain West, South Central, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic.
Outpatient visits for the flu rose to 6.1%, from 5.1% the previous week. The level has been above the national baseline for 8 consecutive weeks and all 10 regions are above their regional baselines. The highest levels are in children up to 4 years of age, followed by young people aged 5 to 24.
Flu hospitalizations continue to rise, and one of the CDC's tracking systems showed that about 14,700 people were hospitalized for the flu last week. Levels were highest in the elderly, followed by adults aged 50 to 64 and children aged up to 4 years.
Seven more flu-related childhood flu deaths were reported, six of them for the current flu season, bringing the total to 20. All deaths in the current season occurred in December. Four were linked to influenza A and of the virus subtypes, and both were 2009 H1N1, which is still the dominant strain in the country.
Across all age groups, the flu accounted for 0.5% of all deaths in the country last week, up from 0.3% the previous week.
