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Welcome to the Northeast edition of Outbreak Outlook! It is only available to paid subscribers. If you wish to become a paid subscriber and access region-specific information, please click the Subscribe Now button below. Thanks for reading! -Caitlin Respiratory diseasesInfluenza-like illnessInfluenza-like illness activity continues to rise in the Northeast, with 4.2% of visits to the doctor for fever and cough or sore throat, up from 3.8% the week prior. Flu season has been underway for quite a while now, and will likely peak either this month or next. New Jersey and New York stand out as having high levels of activity at around 6%. Please use caution if you are in those states. Connecticut and Massachusetts have middling levels of activity at around 3%, though activity in CT is declining. The other states in the region have quite low levels of ILI activity, at around 2% or less. Covid-19Covid-19 activity is also increasing across the region, though this wave remains fairly modest compares to previous winters’. The number of new weekly hospitalizations is now at 8 per 100,000. Wastewater concentration is quite high though, second only to the Midwestern region—and concentration continues to rise. This tells me that further increases in Covid-19 activity are likely in the weeks ahead. Last winter’s high was 18, for context. At the state level, every state is seeing sizable increases. Connecticut is most heavily affected, followed by Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Only Rhode Island has low levels of activity.
RSVRSV is still holding roughly steady in the Northeast, at about 13% PCR test positivity. The picture in individual states is mixed. Several states are showing continued week-over-week increases, including New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut. However, test positivity is declining in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Among the two states in the region reporting hospitalizations for RSV – New York and Connecticut, hospitalizations appear to be decreasing, though the data are preliminary. Other Respiratory + Stomach BugsI’m monitoring several other respiratory viruses and stomach bugs.
Food recallsThe following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items: New this week:
Previously reported:
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