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
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 (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.
Northeast Region: ILI Activity
Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms
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.
Northeast Region: Change in ILI Activity
Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms
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.
Northeast Region: New COVID-19 Hospitalizations
Rate per 100,000 population
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.
Northeast Region: Change in New COVID-19 Hospitalizations
Weekly new hospitalizations per 100,000
- Suffolk County, NY health officials are monitoring a significant outbreak of whooping cough (pertussis), with 108 reported cases primarily among school-aged children and their parents across various school districts. Many infected individuals are vaccinated, experiencing milder symptoms than unvaccinated persons. Fortunately, no hospitalizations have been reported due to the outbreak. Whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria, can be severe in infants, especially those unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. Early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment are crucial. The health department emphasizes routine vaccination for all children and adults, including TDaP vaccination for pregnant women during every pregnancy.
- A measles cluster originating from an infant hospitalized at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has spread to at least three other unvaccinated city residents. This cluster resulted in four confirmed cases of measles, with two additional cases under investigation. The affected individuals include children, one too young to be vaccinated and another whose parents refused vaccination. Multiple emergency rooms had exposures. If you ever have to visit a healthcare provider for a suspected infection, please call ahead so they can make arrangements to keep their other patients safe.
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.
Northeast Region: RSV Activity
Test Positivity, Percentage
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.
Northeast Region: Norovirus Activity
Test Positivity, Percentage
The 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:
- 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.
