Compared to last year's harsh pandemic winter and the triple threat of another wave of the virus, public health officials are urging caution, not caution, this holiday season.
“This is really what we expected,” said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. “While we have not seen or heard any reports that we are facing hospital capacity issues like we did last year, we do not feel that we are out of the woods yet.”
The toll of the respiratory virus pandemic has not been uniform across the country, peaking in some states and receding in others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced the following levels: overall respiratory illness Infection rates are high in most parts of the Sunbelt and in New York City and New Jersey, and are primarily caused by influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (commonly known as RSV).
In Louisiana, it is designated by the CDC. In one of the two states with a highly advanced respiratory illness, the main factor is influenza, which health officials say typically peaks around this time of year. The new coronavirus is even more unpredictable, with a resurgence just weeks after the fall outbreak subsided.
“While we expect periodic spikes in infections to continue, we hope that clinical symptoms will continue to be relatively low,” Louisiana State Health Officer Joseph Cantor said in a statement. “Unless you get a real curveball, that’s kind of the norm, and we’re grateful for that.”
Last year, children's hospitals faced an onslaught of RSV, which is dangerous for young children, especially infants, and some were overwhelmed. Although RSV infections appear to have stabilized and peaked nationwide this year, the season is still just beginning in some states.
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, a pediatric health system, experienced a mostly mild fall as respiratory syncytial virus infections have declined from their October peak and COVID-19 outbreaks have also reached low levels. ., Influenza cases are on the rise.
“Overall, we are trending toward a more normal seasonal pattern,” said Andy L. Schoen, the system's medical director of hospital epidemiology and a pediatric infectious disease specialist.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen urged Americans to get vaccinated, especially before the holidays.order free coronavirus test at home; Take normal precautions such as washing your hands regularly, opening windows for ventilation, and wearing a mask.
“The best way for people to proactively protect themselves is to get vaccinated and stop completely,” Cohen said in an interview.
This is the first respiratory virus season when some Americans can get vaccinated against all three major pathogens. For the first time, all newborns and adults over 60 years old can now receive the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination. The latest coronavirus vaccines are available that target the latest variants.
However, vaccine uptake remains low. Based on the research, CDC estimates Eight per cent of children, 17 per cent of all adults and more than a third of older adults have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Approximately 16 percent of older adults have received RSV vaccination, but estimates are not available for young children. The flu shot remains the most popular, with 40% of adults vaccinated by December. Same as last year.
Health officials and experts offer various explanations for the lack of intake. There is a shortage of monoclonal antibodies, which act like a vaccine to prevent serious respiratory syncytial virus infections in young children. The federal government is no longer purchasing and distributing all coronavirus vaccines, so some doctors may not have the vaccine in stock and some pharmacies may not be affiliated with certain insurance networks. . And some Americans may be tired of getting shot.
The risk is greatest among older adults, the age group most likely to be hospitalized and die from respiratory illnesses.
“Since the pandemic, there has been increased attention to the need for older adults to be vaccinated at different times, on different schedules, and with different boosters,” said James McSpadden, senior policy advisor at AARP's Public Policy Institute. “There is likely to be some fatigue as new vaccines are rolled out.”
Cohen, who is touring the country promoting vaccinations, said many Americans don't incorporate the annual coronavirus vaccination into their daily routines like they do the annual flu shot.
“We're trying to remind people that the virus has changed and continues to change,” Cohen said. “We need vaccines that are updated as the virus changes.”
CDC pays close attention to: JN.1 variant spread rapidly compared to Other variations, suggesting that they are easily transmissible or good at evading immunity. It was a closely related variant of the BA.2.86 variant that worried scientists because it had an unusually large number of mutations and was particularly good at evading immune defenses.
Cohen wonders if the increase in new coronavirus infections reflects the spread of JN.1 and whether people are exposed to the virus through holiday travel or indoor gatherings amid bitterly cold weather in some parts of the United States. He said it is difficult to assess whether this reflects an increase in the number of opportunities to be exposed. Cohen said there is no evidence that the latest variants pose a greater threat of severe disease or that new vaccines are ineffective against them.
Although health authorities are generally feeling confident about the health system's ability to withstand the rise in respiratory viruses, hospitals in some parts of the country remain under strain.
Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University's School of Public Health, said the toll of the respiratory virus season should not be ignored, even if some trends improve.
“The lesson we have yet to learn is how fragile our health system is,” Nuzzo said. “If you have to go to the emergency room on an average winter day, you may be waiting a long time because there are many other people trying to get treatment.”
Whitney Marvin, Pediatric Intensivist Sean Jenkins, Medical University of South Carolina The children's hospital said this RSV season was the worst she could remember. Children were hospitalized longer than usual, and the season started later than last year.
This is putting additional strain on Marvin's hospitals, as the RSV outbreak overlaps with other winter respiratory virus outbreaks. South Carolina is her second state designated by the CDC as a state with very high respiratory disease activity. The hospital had to coordinate with other hospitals in South Carolina and then North Carolina to divert patients.
“We are still trying to make sure our patients get the care they need,” Marvin said. “It’s not necessarily at the nearest hospital.”
Vaccine shortages are forcing hospitals to reserve vaccinations for the sickest children, even though all infants are eligible for immunization to prevent severe respiratory syncytial virus infection. It's gone. And many parents also couldn't get it at the pediatrician's office.
“The vast majority of people who want the vaccine aren't getting it this year,” said Marvin, who is also an associate professor of pediatric emergency medicine. “All of us who care for the most critically ill children in the ICU are hopeful that vaccine distribution will expand next year and usher in a different RSV season.”
