Acute Respiratory Illness on the Rise, According to CDC

According to Jan. 3 data from the CDC, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare is high.

Nationally, emergency department visits with diagnosed RSV and influenza are very high and emergency department visits for COVID-19 are increasing from low levels.

Nationally, influenza test positivity increased to 18.7%. COVID-19 test positivity has increased to 7.1%. RSV test positivity increased to 12.8%. On a national level, wastewater viral activity levels for COVID-19, influenza A, and RSV are at moderate levels.

In the U.S., currently, COVID-19 and influenza activity levels are predicted to increase. Although, the CDC noted that estimates may be impacted by data reporting delays or changes in healthcare seeking behaviors during the holidays.