Welcome to the respiratory illness season. According to the CDC – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York City – along with New Jersey and at least 16 other states – is now facing “high” to “very high” levels of respiratory illness activity, as measured by the number of weekly visits to clinics and emergency rooms.
The culprits are already known: this year’s flu strains, COVID, and RSV. And while the incidence of flu-like illnesses is above the level considered normal for this time of year, the CDC warns that we have not yet reached the peak.
COVID cases have been steadily increasing across the country:
Nationally, the viral activity of Covid-19 detected in wastewater – an important indicator of transmission – is elevated and rising rapidly. Levels are highest in the Midwest.
According to the CDC’s Nowcast tracker, a new variant of COVID, JN.1, has been rapidly gaining ground in the U.S. It is estimated to account for over 21% of coronavirus cases nationwide in the week ending December 8, up from an average of 3.5% of cases a month earlier. JN.1 is a descendant of the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant. Early data suggest that current COVID vaccines remain effective against the new variant. The CDC is still unsure if JN.1 is causing the increase in case numbers, but stated that it does not appear to cause more severe illness than other strains.Available Vaccines
This is the first respiratory virus season in which nearly everyone can be vaccinated against the three main pathogens. For the first time, all newborns and adults over 60 can receive vaccines against RSV. An updated vaccine against the coronavirus targeting the latest variants is also available.
The CDC estimates that 8% of children, 17% of all adults, and more than one-third of seniors have received the vaccine against the new coronavirus. About 16% of older adults have received the RSV vaccine. There are no studies on vaccination for young children. The flu vaccine remains the most popular, with 40% of adults vaccinated, the same rate as last year.Source: New York Magazine