Everyone you know come down with a ‘super-cold’? CDC says 15 states are suffering ‘very high’ or ‘high’ levels of respiratory illnesses, is YOURS a hotspot?

• South Carolina and Louisiana have the highest levels of coronavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus transmission
• The number of emergency department visits for these illnesses has been steadily increasing in the United States since late October.
• Read more: Interactive map showing crowding in U.S. pediatric hospitals

If your coworker is calling in sick or your friend is feeling sick and canceling plans, you're not alone.

Millions of Americans across the country are suffering from a variety of respiratory illnesses, and they are falling ill faster and at higher levels than before the pandemic.

Viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are surging in more than a dozen states, with infection rates rated “high” or “very high.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that infection rates are rising in 15 states, based on the weekly rate of patient visits to health care providers and hospitals with fever, cough and sore throat.

South Carolina and Louisiana have been given Level 12 status, meaning the incidence is “very high.”

Levels range from 9 to 10, with 13 more states deemed to have a “high” level of respiratory illness, including Alabama, California, Florida, Texas and New Jersey.

New York state is at a “low” level overall, but New York City is individually designated as a “high” level.

While Americans typically become infected with many illnesses during the winter, the levels observed during this cold season were higher than pre-pandemic rates and hit the country earlier than normal seasonal onsets.

In addition to cases, emergency department visits for these respiratory illnesses have also doubled since late October.

The proportion of hospital admissions due to the three viruses totaled 2.3% in the week ending October 21st, but rose to 4.5% in the week ending December 2nd.

The new coronavirus has the highest infection rate, with 2% of emergency department visits due to the virus, followed by influenza at 1.8% and respiratory syncytial virus at 1%.

The rate of hospital admissions for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (a virus that causes sore throats, headaches, shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing) has more than doubled since its lowest point in late October.

However, the rate of positive RSV tests fell to 11.8% in the week ending December, from a recent high of 12.8% the week before.

Although the rate of positive respiratory syncytial virus tests is decreasing, infection rates for coronavirus and influenza are still on the rise.

The coronavirus test positivity rate for the week ending December 2 was 11.5% and the influenza test positivity rate was 6.8%, an increase of 10.6% and 6.2%, respectively, from the week ending November 25th.

And hospitalizations due to coronavirus infections have been steadily increasing over the past month. In the week ending December 2, there were 22,500 people hospitalized due to the virus.

The CDC recently reported that it is tracking a new Covid variant, JN.1.

The agency estimates that this variant accounts for 15% to 29% of coronavirus cases in the United States as of Dec. 8.

The agency said it is currently the fastest growing variant in the country and its presence will continue to increase.

JN.1 is very similar to the previous BA.2.86 variant, but has only one mutation in the virus's spike protein.

The new variant was first detected in the United States in September and accounted for just 0.1% of coronavirus cases in October.

Because of its rapid spread, the CDC believes this variant poses an increased risk to people, although it believes it may be more transmissible or better able to evade the human immune system. There is no evidence, and no indication that it is more serious than previous variants.

Additionally, new coronavirus tests and treatments are expected to be effective against JN.1, and the latest vaccines are expected to increase protection against variants.

The increase in the three viruses has raised concerns among health experts, who said last winter's “triple pandemic” was one of the worst virus seasons ever experienced.

But this year, Ohio and Massachusetts have also seen an alarming increase in cases of childhood pneumonia, also known as “white lung syndrome,” and health experts say it's only a matter of time before cases start spreading to other regions. It states that. state.

There are so many pathogens in circulation that the U.S. is facing a “syndemic,” or three or more pathogens, said Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan, an infectious disease expert in Arkansas who is tracking coronavirus variants. He warned that it could also lead to a major outbreak.

Children and the elderly are usually the hardest hit in such outbreaks, as their immune systems are still developing and have weakened immune systems, respectively.

According to Department of Health and Human Services data analyzed by DailyMail.com, 79 of 711 hospitals (11%) with children's units reached capacity in the week ending Nov. 25, the most recent data available. It is indicated that the number of participants is exceeded or the capacity is exceeded.

While this is lower than the 15 cases at the same time last year, it is still early in the season and the number is expected to rise as cases continue to rise.

Citing the rise in illnesses, CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen has issued a new order urging Americans to wear masks again this holiday season, despite growing evidence that face coverings do not protect against respiratory viruses. I made a call.

He urged people to get the latest coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines and “take additional protective measures such as avoiding people who are sick, washing your hands, improving ventilation and wearing a mask.” Please,” he added.

But the CDC's recommendation to wear masks again has been labeled “outdated” and unscientific by medical experts, who say there is “too much evidence” that masks are ineffective. Some say that this has not led health authorities to continue to persistently recommend masks.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told DailyMail.com that the CDC is “too slow” to catch up with the science.

He told DailyMail.com that the CDC needs to “re-evaluate outdated guidelines” and remove widespread masking recommendations.