Outbreak Outlook - Aug 19

New Covid-19 vaccines available soon.

Summer Plans: During the summer months, I am on my off-season schedule:

• For paid subscribers, I’ll combine weekly updates into a single report. These updates are less detailed compared to my winter report.

• Free subscribers will continue to receive occasional essays and posts during the summer months, but I won’t be posting as often.

• In the fall, I will return to sending out a full-length, free national version of Outbreak Outlook. Paid subscribers will receive region-specific editions with more local data.

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ILI & RSV

All quiet. Only 1.5% of doctor visits are for fever, cough, or sore throat, which is below the usual baseline. In children aged 0-4 (typically the most affected), ILI rates are at 4.4%. Every state except Mississippi reports minimal activity; Mississippi is at low.

RSV activity is also low, with all regions of the country reporting a test positivity of less than 1%. However, I do expect the RSV season to start soon, in the next month or two.

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COVID-19

The summer wave is still in force. Wastewater levels are very high nationwide. The West continues to be hit particularly hard, with wastewater levels roughly 1.5x the national average, followed closely by the South.

Source: CDC

Emergency department visits for Covid-19 held roughly stable this past week at 2.4% of all visits. Hospitalizations, while still elevated, declined a bit, from 4.2 to 3.2 hospitalizations per 100,000.