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Respiratory Diseases

ILI

We are getting closer and closer to the end of flu season, with influenza and influenza-like illness accounting for a smaller proportion of outpatient visits (down to 3.4%), emergency department visits, and hospitalizations in most of the Northeast.

Northeast Region: ILI Activity

Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms

The proportion of outpatient visits for ILI either remained stable or decreased slightly in every state in the Northeast this past week. Most states in the region – including Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont – now report quite low rates of outpatient visits for ILI (<2%). In contrast, rates are still relatively high in New Jersey, where 4.9% of all outpatients were for ILI.

Northeast Region: Change in ILI Activity

Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms

Emergency department visits for influenza decreased in all states in the region (except New Hampshire, which did not report data). In addition, hospitalization rates for influenza are low across the Northeast, and continued to decline moderately or substantially in every state in the region this past week.

COVID-19

Another week of good news on the Covid-19 front. Wastewater data have declined to levels we haven’t seen since last July, and appear to be leveling off somewhat in the Northeast. The rate of new weekly hospitalizations is also quite low, down to nearly 2 per 100,000.

Northeast Region: New COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Average rate per 100,000 population

Hospitalization rates for Covid-19 are low, with equal to or less than 3 new hospital admissions per 100,000 population in every state in the region. The rate is declining or stable across most of the Northeast. New hospital admissions for Covid-19 declined substantially (24-42%) in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Rates remained stable in New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Although hospitalization rates increased moderately in Maine (+17%) and substantially in Vermont (+22%), they remained under 3 new admissions per 100,000 population in both.

Northeast Region: Change in New COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Weekly new hospitalizations per 100,000

Similarly, no states reported increases, and most states reported moderate declines in the proportion of emergency department visits for Covid-19, including New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. More substantial declines were reported in Maine, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.

Stomach Bugs

I was hopeful that norovirus activity had peaked in the Northeast, but that’s not the case. Test positivity was back up again this week, rising to 14.3%, up from 14.0% last week. I do expect the region will turn the corner in the weeks ahead, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet.

Northeast Region: Norovirus Activity

Test Positivity, Percentage

Food recalls

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

New

• Helados Mexico Mango Bars (more info)

Previously reported:

• Trader Joe’s 50% Less Salt Roasted & Salted Whole Cashews (more info)
• Multiple brands of cinnamon sold at discount stores, for lead contamination. The best resource I found to quickly survey affected products is here.
• Robitussin Honey CF Max cough syrup products (more info)
• Tons of different granola and oatmeal products from Quaker (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

• Mpox activity is increasing in the Northeast. Across New England states, three times as many cases have been diagnosed between January 1st and March 23rd as the same period last year (24 cases in 2023 vs 8 in 2023). In the Mid-Atlantic, 185 cases have been diagnosed so far this year, compared to 40 during the same period last year. People at risk, notably men who have sex with men, are recommended to get vaccinated.