ATLANTA, Georgia – The Centers for Disease Control released their weekly snapshot of respiratory viruses Friday, January 19th, 2024 providing a summary of the key viral respiratory illness findings for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV from the past week and access to additional information and figures.
Note: data summaries are based on CDC subject matter expert interpretation of publicly available findings across multiple data systems, some of which are not included in the data visualizations on these web pages.
The amount of respiratory illness (fever plus cough or sore throat) causing people to seek healthcare is elevated or increasing across most areas of the country. This week, 25 jurisdictions experienced high or very high activity.
Summary
Seasonal influenza and COVID-19 activity remain elevated in most parts of the country; however, the rapid increases seen previously appear to be slowing and some indicators are showing decreasing or stabilizing levels of activity. The U.S. continues to experience elevated RSV activity, particularly among young children, but some indicators are also showing decreases. Hospital bed occupancy for all patients, including within intensive care units, remains stable nationally.
Influenza
Two weeks of decreasing or stable trends overall have been reported. However, clinical lab percent positivity and emergency department visits increased this week in certain regions of the country and age groups. CDC will continue to monitor for a second period of increasing influenza activity that often occurs after the winter holidays. Additional information about the recent increases in influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC.
COVID-19
Despite test positivity (percentage of tests conducted that were positive), emergency department visits, and hospitalizations remaining elevated nationally, COVID-19 rates have stabilized, or in some instances decreased. Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are highest among infants and older adults but are also elevated for young children. Despite the high levels of infection measured using wastewater viral activity and test positivity data, COVID-19 infections are causing severe disease less frequently than earlier in the pandemic.
RSV
RSV activity remains elevated nationally in all regions, though decreases have been observed in some areas. Hospitalization rates remain elevated in young children and continue to increase among older adults.
Vaccination
National vaccination coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines remains low for children and adults. Vaccines are available and can help protect people from the most serious health effects of fall and winter viruses.