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Respiratory diseases

This week I am reporting on data from the week ending December 30, which is squished between two major holidays. Data and assessments should be considered provisional.

Influenza-like illness

Influenza-like illness (ILI) activity accelerated across the Northeast over the past week. Around 6.8% of visits to the doctor were for fever and cough or sore throat, up from 6.0% the week prior. There is definitely a lot going around, so be careful out there.

New Jersey is by far the most affected state in the region, with ILI at 8.8% and rising.

Among the other states, Connecticut saw the most marked rise, jumping 1.2 points to 5.0%. Massachusetts also posted a sizable increase of 1.0 points to 5.9%. Notable ILI jumps occurred in Pennsylvania (+0.8 to 4.2%), Vermont (+0.7 to 2.1%), and New Hampshire (+0.5 to 4.1%) as well.

More moderate upticks were seen in Maine (+0.5 to 3.4%) and Rhode Island (+0.1 to 3.4%). No Northeastern states appeared to decline in ILI week-over-week.

Covid-19

Covid-19 hospitalization rates accelerated sharply across the Northeast over the past week. Wastewater concentration is also accelerating quickly; the Northeast has the highest wastewater concentration in the country. Perhaps not coincidentally, the region also has the highest prevalence of the JN.1 variant. Taken together, these indicators reinforce that there is plenty of Covid-19 going around, too.

New Jersey saw the most dramatic rise, jumping 3.2 new admissions per 100,000 to 12.4. Massachusetts also posted a concerning increase of 2.5 points to 13.9 per 100,000.

Sizable hospitalization jumps occurred in New York (+2.1 to 13.4 per 100,000), Pennsylvania (+1.8 to 11.0), and Connecticut (+0.9 to 11.3). More moderate upticks were seen in Maine (+0.6 to 8.3) and New Hampshire (+0.4 to 9.1), while Rhode Island rose slightly to 9.2 per 100,000.

Vermont experienced a negligible change week-over-week at 8.0 new hospitalizations per 100,000. Overall, Covid-19 hospitalization activity remains very elevated and expanding in the Northeast.

RSV

I don’t trust the data this week because the holiday season likely interrupted reporting, so the only thing I can say for sure is that activity remains high in the Northeast region. Test positivity, hospitalizations, and wastewater data are all elevated. What I can’t say is whether we have reached peak or not. I think it probably has, but I’m not positive. Next week we’ll know more about where the region is in the season.

Norovirus

No surprise, norovirus activity is still rising in the northeastern region. Test positivity is now over 13%, which is an increase over 11% the week prior. I expect that activity will continue to rise through early spring, perhaps with peaks in the teens.

Food recalls

The following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items:

New this week:

• Charcuterie meats sold by Fratelli Beretta (more info)
• Ground beef sold by Valley Meats and Scanga Meat (more info, more info)

Previously reported:

• Tons of different granola and oatmeal products from Quaker (more info).
• Pet food sold by Blue Ridge Beef (more info). Pet food can pose a risk to humans through cross contamination.
• If you have food allergies, you may wish to review these FDA safety alerts and USDA alerts for foods with undeclared allergens.

• head so they can make arrangements to keep their other patients safe.