The US records an increasing number of flu and COVID-19 cases nationwide, especially a sharp increase in respiratory disease cases in young children.
According to recently released data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the most recent week ending November 25, about 10% of COVID-19 tests had positive results. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 increased to nearly 20,000, up 10% from the previous week. CDC Director Mandy Cohen said COVID-19 continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory diseases, with about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths each week.
Meanwhile, flu rates are also increasing in most regions across the United States, especially in the Mid-South, Southeast, mountainous and coastal regions of the West Coast. In the week ending November 25, there were a total of 4,268 hospitalizations. About 1,100 adults and 8 children have died from flu since the beginning of the flu season until now.
According to the CDC, hospitalization rates related to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remain elevated in older adults and young children. This is a contagious virus and can cause life-threatening pneumonia and bronchiolitis. CDC is monitoring an increasing trend in respiratory illnesses in young children. The agency recommends that children 6 months and older be vaccinated with both flu and COVID-19 vaccines to protect their health against virus strains that spread strongly in the fall and winter.