January 25, 2024- With the start of the new year, the nation was continuing to see a rise in respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that flu activity decreased in early January, but the decrease is not necessarily a trend. According to reports from CNN and the CDC, increases in respiratory diseases cases are likely set to continue.
According to an update this week, the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics concluded that this respiratory disease season will probably result in a similar number of hospitalizations as last season.
While current hospital capacity is considered stable overall, the CDC says that hospitals in some parts of the country have reported strains on their resources due to respiratory illnesses.