Ahead of the Christmas holiday week, respiratory virus activity triggering healthcare visits is at the moderate level, with further rises seen for flu, activity up from low levels for COVID-19, and high levels for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its updates, which also included updated seasonal outlooks.
The CDC said it expects the current winter respiratory virus season to have similar or fewer peak hospitalizations for all three viruses compared to last season. It estimated that, for COVID, however, if a new variant with immune-escape properties doesn't emerge, the peak burden will likely be lower than last season and occur in late December or early January.
Flu hot spots in several states, 2 more pediatric deaths
In its weekly FluView update, covering the week ending December 13, the CDC said test positivity, emergency department (ED) visits for flu, and the percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness all rose from the previous week's level. At public health labs, influenza A made up nearly 97% of positive detections, and, of subtyped viruses, 53.5% were the H3N2 strain and 46.2% were 2009 H1N1.
Hospitalizations also rose for all age-groups and are highest in seniors ages 75 and older.
Outpatient visits for flulike illness rose to 3.8% and have now been above the national baseline of 3.0% for 3 weeks.
Two states—Louisiana and Oregon—are reporting very high activity, a measure of outpatient visits, while 13 are reporting high activity, mostly across the South and West.
Of the two pediatric flu deaths, one involved an unsubtyped influenza A virus and occurred the week ending December 7. The other was due to influenza B and occurred last week. So far, four pediatric flu deaths have been reported to the CDC this season.
COVID wastewater detections highest in Midwest
In its COVID tracking, the CDC said wastewater levels, ED visits, and test positivity continue to increase from low levels, with wastewater detections remaining at the moderate level nationally and highest in the Midwest.
In new estimates, the CDC said 72,000 to 120,000 people have been hospitalized for COVID since October 1, along with 8,200 to 13,000 deaths over the same time period.
Meanwhile, in its latest variant proportion projections today, the CDC reported a further rise in XEC viruses, which are now the most commonly reported variant, at 45%. The only other variant showing a notable rise was LP.8.1, up from 4% to 8% over the past 2 weeks.
