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Respiratory Diseases

ILI

Flu season is still off to a slow start, which is very welcome.

Rhode Island stands out dramatically in the Northeast, with wastewater levels surging to “very high” levels. However, outpatient ILI remains very low at 1.3% and RI only has three wastewater sites, so it’s possible this is a data blip.

New Jersey and New York City report the region’s highest outpatient ILI at 3.9% and 4.2% respectively, though both show unremarkable wastewater activity. New York state shows lower outpatient ILI at 1.5% and minimal wastewater levels.

Pennsylvania and Connecticut report fairly low outpatient ILI (1.5% and 2.3% respectively) with minimal wastewater activity in PA. Vermont shows similar patterns with outpatient ILI at 0.9% and minimal wastewater levels.

Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire all report very low outpatient ILI between 1.1% and 1.9%.

I have no doubt that flu season will pick up at some point, but I’m enjoying the lull while it lasts.

COVID-19

Covid-19 wastewater activity and severe illness are minimal; however, activity seems to be starting to increase again in a few states.

Wastewater activity is picking up in Massachusetts and Rhode Island (though it remains at moderate levels).

Otherwise, wastewater activity is low or minimal across most of the region, including in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Maine, activity is moderate and decreasing.

In terms of severe illness, trips to the emergency room for Covid-19 remain minimal (<1.5% of all visits) across the region. Over the past week, ED visits declined or held steady in most states in the Northeastern region. The exception is Connecticut, where Covid-19-related visits to the ED have increased moderately, but remain minimal at 0.9% of all trips to the ED.

Hospitalizations are quite low and continue to decrease in the two reporting states: Connecticut (1.5 hospitalizations per 100,000) and New York (2.1). Separately, New York City also has low and declining hospitalizations.

RSV

RSV activity is also quiet very quiet! All states have low or minimal levels of wastewater concentration, and hospitalizations are still very low in all states.

Other Bugs

A bunch of other viruses that cause respiratory infections – cold- and flu-like symptoms – are increasing:

• Adenoviruses and human coronaviruses are both on an upswing, but remain at middling levels.
• Parainfluenza is fairly elevated, with 5.7% test positivity. In the past couple years, when it has gone through a period of higher spread, it tends to peak around 7-9% test positivity.
• Rhinoviruses/enteroviruses have a quite-elevated 20-30% test positivity for the past month, and this week increased a bit again, to 28.5%.

Stomach Bugs

Norovirus test positivity in the region is still quite low at 3.6%, but test positivity increase slightly in the past week. Rates in the Northeast are far below rates elsewhere in the country, particularly the South, where test positivity is nearly 20%.

However, this is the time of year norovirus spread typically picks up, so we shall see what the next few weeks bring.

Food recalls

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

New:

• Bagged carrots, full size and baby, sold at multiple retailers (more info)

Previously reported:

• Soft ripened cheeses, including brie, sold under multiple brand names, including Aldi, La Bonne Vie, and Glenview Farms (more info)
  • Prepackaged turkey sandwiches with spreadable brie sold under multiple brand names (more info)
• Ready-to-eat poultry and meat products sold by Yu Shang Food, including pork belly, beef shank, and whole chicken (more info)
• Waffles and pancakes – many flavors and styles – sold under a very large variety of brand names, including numerous store brands, including 365 Organic, Best Choice, Good & Gather, Harris Teeter, H-E-B, Nature’s Promise, Publix, Trader Joe’s and Wegmans.
  • Given the size of this recall, if you have any variety of frozen/toaster waffles, Belgian waffles or pancakes in your freezer that you bought in the US or Canada, check this list. (more info)
• If you have food allergies, you may wish to review these FDA safety alerts and USDA alerts for foods with undeclared allergens.

In other news

• I couldn’t find much, happily! Everything is looking quite good in the Northeast right now.