Welcome to this week’s Northeastern 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

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Respiratory Diseases

Influenza

Flu activity continues to decline across the Northeast this week.

New Jersey is the only state with outpatient ILI meaningfully above 3%, reporting 4.2%, down from 4.5%, with emergency department (ED) visits declining to 2.0% from 2.2%.

The rest of the region has now dipped below 3%. New Hampshire and Massachusetts both crossed that threshold this week, falling to 2.8% and 2.6% respectively, after sitting at 3.5% and 3.1% the week prior.

Northeast: Outpatient influenza-like illness (%)

% of visits to the doctor that are for fever and cough or sore throat

The remaining states were all in the low-to-mid 2% range or below.

New York held essentially flat at 2.8%, with hospitalizations edging down to 1.9 per 100,000 from 2.1. Vermont fell to 2.4%, and notably its ED visits dropped sharply to 2.0% from 3.5%. Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Maine each came in between 2.0% and 2.4%, all declining. Pennsylvania’s ED visits held essentially flat at 2.0%. Connecticut again had no outpatient ILI data, but ED visits edged down to 1.9% and hospitalizations fell sharply to 0.9 per 100,000 from 2.1.

Northeast: ED visits for influenza (%)

% of visits to the emergency department that are for influenza

COVID-19

Covid-19 activity improved substantially across the Northeast this week, with several states seeing dramatic drops in both ED visits and wastewater.

Vermont and Maine stand out. Vermont’s wastewater fell from high to moderate and ED visits declined to 0.6% from 0.8%, while Maine’s wastewater also dropped from high to moderate and ED visits fell sharply to 0.5% from 0.9%. Rhode Island saw perhaps the most striking shift, with wastewater declining from moderate to minimal and ED visits falling to 0.3% from 0.5%.

Northeast: Covid-19 wastewater concentration

Wastewater concentration of SARS-CoV-2

The rest of the region also improved, though more modestly. Connecticut and New Jersey reported 0.5% for ED visits, both declining, with wastewater remaining moderate; Connecticut hospitalizations fell sharply to 1.3 per 100,000 from 2.5. Pennsylvania reported 0.5%, with wastewater holding moderate.

New Hampshire and Massachusetts each came in near 0.4% to 0.5%, with wastewater declining into the low-to-moderate range. New York had the lowest ED rate at 0.4%, though wastewater edged up slightly from low to moderate; hospitalizations fell notably to 2.0 per 100,000 from 3.1.

Northeast: ED visits for Covid-19 (%)

% of visits to the emergency department that are for Covid-19

RSV

RSV activity declined broadly across the Northeast this week. Vermont led at 0.8% for ED visits, down from 1.0%, followed by New Hampshire at 0.7%, down from 1.1%. Massachusetts saw a notable drop to 0.6% from 1.0%.

Northeast: ED visits for RSV (%)

% of visits to the emergency department that are for RSV

The remaining states all came in at 0.5% or below. Rhode Island declined to 0.4% from 0.7%. Connecticut and New York both reported 0.4%, with hospitalizations continuing to fall — Connecticut to 3.5 per 100,000 from 4.9, and New York to 3.2 per 100,000 from 3.7.

Northeast RSV Hospitalization Rates (%)

Change in hospitalization rates

Norovirus

Unfortunately, norovirus activity is continuing to climb. Test positivity in the Northeast rose from 11% to 14%, which is the same band it’s been bouncing around in all season.

Norovirus causes vomiting and diarrhea. It spreads very easily, and is not reliably killed by hand sanitizer. Thorough handwashing with soap and water is the best way to prevent transmission.

Norovirus weekly percent positive tests (%)

Data reported to NREVSS

Food recalls

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

New:

• Nothing new this week

Previously Reported:

• Expanded recall of frozen chicken fried rice products, sold under multiple brand names: Trader Joe’s, Ajinomoto, Kroger, Ling Ling, and Tai Pei, due to possible glass shards (more info)
• Great Value (sold at Walmart) Cottage Cheese (more info)
• Elite Treats Chicken Chips (for dogs). These may be contaminated with salmonella, which poses a health risk not only for dogs, but also for humans who handle the product or contaminated surfaces (more info).
• Bremer Family Size Italian Meatballs (frozen, ready-to-eat) (more info)
• Multiple flavors of cream cheese under the Made Fresh Salads, Inc. label (more info)
• Gerber Arrowroot biscuits (more info)
• Organic chia seeds sold by Navitas Organics (more info)

In other news

• Regional editions are wrapping up for the season. The last regional edition will publish March 22, with state-level coverage resuming in October when flu season resumes. In the meantime, paid subscribers will continue to receive a weekly national report through the summer months, including the annual summer Covid-19 wave.