According to the CDC, corona and flu rates are rising in the US
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of acute respiratory illnesses that cause Americans to seek health care is at a high level.
In one update The CDC published Friday that in addition to Covid-19 activity increasing from low levels in most areas in the US, seasonal flu activity continues to increase and is high in most of the country.
The CDC predicts that Covid-19 rates will continue to rise in the coming weeks, as they usually do during the winter. Between the week ending December 21, 2024 and the week ending December 28, 2024, the positivity rate for Covid-19 tests is increased from 7% to 7.1% in the US.
Meanwhile, the positivity rate of influenza tests rose from 12% Unpleasant 18.7% during that period. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) were the most commonly reported viruses, the CDC said said.
In addition, the positivity rate for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is considered “very high” in many parts of the country, especially among young children, the CDC said. It added that emergency room visits and hospitalizations are highest for children and that hospitalizations among older adults have increased in some areas.
Despite the high rates of acute respiratory illness prompting people to seek health care, vaccination rates for the three diseases remain low. According to the CDC, vaccination rates for Covid-19 and flu are low among both adults and children. Likewise, vaccination coverage for RSV remains low among adults, the CDC said.
Overall, the CDC expects the fall and winter virus seasons to have similar or lower peak numbers of combined hospitalizations from Covid-19, influenza and RSV compared to last year. However, peak hospitalization rates for all respiratory viruses are likely to remain much higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic, the report said.
As part of the autumn and winter immunization accompanimentthe CDC recommends the seasonal flu vaccine and the 2024-25 Covid-19 vaccine for everyone six months and older. The agency added that vaccination is especially important for people at increased risk for serious illness, such as adults 65 and older, people with certain health conditions, nursing home residents and pregnant people.
The agency also recommends that people with weakened immune systems or 65 years and older receive another dose of the 2024-25 Covid-19 vaccine six months after receiving their first dose.
Meanwhile, the agency recommends the RSV vaccine to protect adults 75 and older, adults between 60 and 74 years old with certain health conditions and those living in nursing homes. Currently, older adults should get the RSV vaccine once, not every year.
Last September, a survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that fewer than half of Americans planned to get their Covid-19 vaccine in 2024, and just over half planned to get a flu shot to get.