Respiratory Viruses Activity Hits ‘Very High’ Levels Across US: CDC

United States: Respiratory viruses continue to spread throughout the United States, making millions of people ill, CDC warned.

The CDC tracks high respiratory illness outbreaks across the United States where flu, COVID-19, and RSV infections continue to be listed as ‘high” across the nation, and is leading patients to seek immediate medical care “at a high level,” ABC News reported.

More about the news

The report indicates that Hawaii and New Hampshire lead with “very high” respiratory virus spread while fifteen additional states maintained “high” activity levels on January 17.

The CDC attributes observed changes in illness levels to both holiday-reporting delays and people’s decisions about healthcare visits.

The agency also noted that it is not counted as a sign that respiratory virus activity has peaked and that such activity “is expected to continue for several more weeks.”

What more are the experts stating?

According to Dr. John Brownstein, this influenza season follows pre-pandemic patterns for the first time in multiple years.

“Historically, seasons like this have seen secondary peaks or increases in activity during the following weeks,” he added.

Respiratory viruses are continuing to spread across the United States and such activity "is expected to continue for several more weeks," according to the CDC. https://t.co/EFLDiq9hxj

— ABC News (@ABC) January 20, 2025

The CDC also mentions that seasonal flu activity is “elevated” across the country while COVID-19 activity has “increased,” ABC News reported.

But, the CDC stated that RSV activity has “peaked” in several areas across the US.

Rising cases data

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent estimates show that 12 million flu cases have caused 160,000 hospitalizations and 6,600 deaths thus far this flu season.

So far this flu season, doctors have confirmed 27 child deaths, including 11 new fatalities last week.

Reports show that as of January 11, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are highest for flu right now, while hospitalization rates for COVID-19 and RSV stay at similar levels.

Four viruses are currently circulating in the United States, which some have referred to as a "quad-demic."

Data from the CDC showed an increase in three respiratory viruses—COVID-19, flu and RSV—and the gastrointestinal disease norovirus. https://t.co/xRC62psnvx

— ABC News (@ABC) January 19, 2025

Children who visit emergency rooms with RSV infections are most common among those younger than 4, and students under 18 display both RSV and flu symptoms.

People above age 65 experience the highest hospitalizations from flu and COVID infections.

The majority of hospitalizations in young children under four years are directly linked to RSV. COVID-19 takes first place with a 1.4 percent death rate, followed by the flu at 1.2 percent and RSV at just 0.1 percent.

Vaccination coverage remains low, however, meaning “many children and adults lack protection from respiratory virus infections provided by vaccines,” as per the CDC.