What You Need To Know
Below please find the Respiratory Illness Surveillance Report. This report summarizes surveillance information for COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses.
Report Highlights:
- Emergency department visits and hospital admissions remain elevated compared to last season but are decreasing for influenza, remain stable for COVID-19, and continue to decrease for RSV.
- Recent COVID-19, influenza, and RSV hospitalizations have mostly been reported in persons 65 years and older. The number of influenza-associated deaths remain elevated over the past month; with a total of three fatal pediatric cases reported this season.
- Test positivity for influenza decreased slightly since last week and increased slightly for COVID-19 and RSV. Test positivity is high for seasonal coronaviruses.
- Levels of influenza A and COVID-19 in wastewater remain elevated. While elevated, COVID-19 levels remain lower than the summer 2024 peak. Levels for influenza type A are declining while B are increasing. RSV levels in wastewater continue to decline.
- The predominant COVID-19 variants are XEC and LP.8.1, subvariants of Omicron covered by the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine. Among the current predominant influenza viruses, type B is followed by 2009 H1N1 and these are included in the 2024-25 influenza vaccine.
- Respiratory outbreaks reported by K-12 schools have been primarily due to influenza and outbreaks reported in long-term care facilities continue to primarily be due to COVID-19 and influenza.
Please contact the Communicable Disease Service (CDS) at 609-826-5964 with any questions about the report.