Respiratory viruses continue to spread rapidly across the United States, with millions of Americans falling ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that overall respiratory illness activity, including the flu, COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), remains at “high” levels nationwide. This surge is leading many people to seek medical care at an elevated rate.
As of January 17, two states—Hawaii and New Hampshire—are experiencing “very high” activity, while 15 other states report “high” levels of respiratory illness. While the CDC acknowledges that some indicators may suggest a decrease or stabilization in illness rates, it warns that reporting delays from the holiday season could skew the data. The agency emphasized that respiratory virus activity is expected to continue for several more weeks.
This year’s respiratory virus season is the first in several years to resemble patterns seen before the pandemic, according to Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. He added that previous seasons like this one often saw secondary peaks of illness in the following weeks.
The CDC also noted that while flu activity is high across the country, COVID-19 cases have risen, and RSV cases have generally “peaked” in many regions. So far this season, there have been at least 12 million flu illnesses, 160,000 hospitalizations, and 6,600 deaths, with 27 pediatric flu-related deaths, including 11 reported last week.
Emergency room visits and hospitalizations for flu are currently at their highest, followed closely by COVID-19 and RSV, which are at similar levels. Children, particularly those under age 4, are experiencing the highest rates of emergency room visits, mainly due to RSV. Hospitalization rates are also high among adults over 65, with flu and COVID-19 driving most of these cases. Meanwhile, RSV-related hospitalizations are more common among children under age 4.
In terms of death rates, COVID-19 has the highest mortality rate at 1.4%, followed by the flu at 1.2%, and RSV at 0.1%.
Although vaccines for the flu, COVID-19, and RSV are available, vaccination coverage remains low. According to CDC data from January 4, only 43.4% of adults have received a flu vaccine, and just 22.8% have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-25 season. RSV vaccination is more common among older adults, with 44.5% of those over age 75 receiving the shot. In contrast, only 42.9% of children are vaccinated against the flu, and just 11% have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Brownstein emphasized that it is still not too late to get vaccinated, especially during peak virus activity. Vaccination, he noted, is a crucial tool in reducing the risk of severe illness. “Staying up to date on vaccinations can significantly reduce the spread of illness and the severity of outcomes,” he added.
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