NEW YORK (AP) — A surge in flu and COVID-19 infections is expected in the coming weeks, U. S. fitness officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new edition of the coronavirus that could spread further. easily.
High levels of flu-like illness were reported in 17 states last week, up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
“People travel a lot more this season. Let them see their families,” said Dr. Harris. Manisha Patel of the CDC. ” And all of this adds up to the spread of viruses.
Health officials are tracking an ever-evolving edition of the coronavirus, known as JN. 1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U. S. It was released in the U. S. in September and now accounts for about 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to be 50% successful in the U. S. the next two weeks, Patel said.
It could spread more easily or better evade our immune systems, but there’s no evidence that the strain causes more severe illness than other recent variants, health officials say. And existing evidence indicates that vaccines and antiviral drugs work against this.
As for flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn’t cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.
But the bad news is that vaccinations are down this year, let’s say. About 42% of U. S. adults had been vaccinated against the flu in the first week of December, up from 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC. .
Americans have also been slow to get vaccinated. Only about 18% got an update on the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be available in September. In nursing homes, about one-third of citizens are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. .
And only 17% of older adults 60 and older had received new vaccines against the respiratory virus. RSV, the respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of mild cold-like symptoms, but it can be harmful to infants and the elderly.
Last week, the CDC took the step of sending a fitness alert to U. S. doctors urging them to vaccinate their patients against this trio of viruses.
The Carolinas currently have respiratory infection traffic in emergency rooms, according to CDC data released this week.
The scenario is as dire as some winters, but some patients are still waiting days to get a hospital bed, said Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
“We’ve gotten a little bloodless in South Carolina, and the flu tends to hit us hard when other people have to deal with the bloodless,” he said. “The situation may worsen very mildly in the next 4 to 8 weeks. “
Flu and COVID-19 infections are expected to rise in the coming weeks, U. S. fitness officials say. In the U. S. , with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people, and a new edition of the coronavirus that could spread more easily.
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NEW YORK (AP) — A surge in flu and COVID-19 infections is expected in the coming weeks, U. S. fitness officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new edition of the coronavirus that could spread further. easily.
High degrees of flu-like illness were reported in 17 states last week, up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
“Folks are traveling a lot more this season. They want to see their families,” said the CDC’s Dr. Manisha Patel. “And all of that sort of adds to the mix” in the spread of viruses.
Health officials are tracking an ever-evolving edition of the coronavirus, known as JN. 1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U. S. It was released in the U. S. in September and now accounts for about 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to be 50% successful in the U. S. the next two weeks, Patel said.
It could spread more easily or better evade our immune systems, but there’s no evidence that the strain causes more severe illness than other recent variants, health officials say. And existing evidence indicates that vaccines and antiviral drugs work against this.
When it comes to influenza, early symptoms suggest that existing vaccines are well suited to the strain that causes the most illness and that this strain does not cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as other versions.
But the bad news is vaccinations are down this year, officials say. About 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December, down from about 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC.
Americans have also been slow to get vaccinated. Only about 18% got an updated COVID-19 vaccine, which will be available in September. In nursing homes, about one-third of citizens are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations.
And only 17% of older adults ages 60 and older had received new vaccines against the respiratory virus. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of mild cold-like symptoms, but can be harmful to babies and the elderly.
The CDC last week took the unusual step of sending a health alert to U.S. doctors urging them to immunize their patients against the trio of viruses.
The Carolinas have had traffic of respiratory infections in emergency rooms lately, according to CDC data released this week.
The scenario is as dire as some winters, but some patients are still waiting days to get a hospital bed, said Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
“We’ve barely been cold in South Carolina, and flu tends to hit us very hard when people actually get some cold weather to deal with,” he said. “We could get worse, very easily, in the next four to eight weeks.”