Flu and COVID Activity Rise ahead of the Holidays

Indicators for both the flu and COVID are on the rise, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rises come just ahead of Thanksgiving gatherings and as other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), continue to increase.

The rises were the most significant and have been the most sustained for the flu. One metric, outpatient visits for flulike illness, is 3.5% above the national baseline for the second week in a row. Additionally, the percentage of respiratory specimens that were positive for flu rose to 4%, up from 3% the week before. Nine jurisdictions reported very high or high flu activity, which reflects clinic visits for flu. They include Louisiana, Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. In terms of COVID, after declining trends since the end of September, indicators rose slighty last week. Nationally, test positivity is at 8.4%, reflecting a 0.1 percentage-point rise, with levels higher in the Midwest and West Central regions than in the rest of the country.

With the potential for COVID to become a permanent part of life like the flu, researchers are keeping a watch on one variant in particular: Omicron. It’s been two years since it emerged, but due to its infectiousness and ability to mutate researchers warn it still has the capacity to surprise us, especially if we stop paying close attention. As Omicron continues to evolve, researchers still see a benefit to vaccinations, with a group at the University of North Carolina recently concluding that annual vaccination campaigns could save up to 49,000 lives a year.

Read more at the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (articles one and two) and the New York Times.