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COVID and RSV see a significant rise in
collective cases across the United States
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As we progress into the Fall, the healthcare community, and most
notably the CDC, have reported on a drastic uptick in both COVID and
RSV cases across the country. To best understand the threat level to
our nation, we will investigate and summarize various reports to
update our readers appropriately.
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Key takeaways
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ICU doctors are reporting a change in the severity of COVID-19
cases in hospitalized patients. While hospitalizations are on the
rise again, patients admitted to ICUs with COVID-19 are responding
faster to treatment, experiencing lower mortality rates, and being
discharged earlier compared to earlier in the pandemic. Factors
contributing to this change include the less severe nature of
omicron subvariants, reduced targeting of individuals with
underlying health conditions, the availability of antiviral
medications like Paxlovid, and the higher proportion of the
population with some level of protective immunity through
vaccination or prior infection. However, immunosuppressed
individuals, such as older adults and certain cancer patients,
remain at higher risk. Experts anticipate a seasonal increase in
hospitalizations in the winter but do not expect a return to the
severity seen in previous years.
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Multiple indicators are pointing to a rise in COVID-19 activity in
the United States as fall approaches. Hospitalizations are
increasing, deaths have slightly risen, wastewater samples are
showing an uptick in the virus, and lab data confirms increased
transmission. While hospitalizations are on the rise, they do not yet
approach the levels seen in previous surges. Emergency room
visits with a COVID-19 diagnosis have increased since early July,
and wastewater samples indicate higher SARS-CoV-2 levels.
Deaths appear to be up slightly compared to recent weeks. The
rise is attributed to the XBB subvariants, not the BA.2.86 variant,
which remains rare and may not be as concerning as initially
thought. The guidance to protect against COVID-19 remains the
same, including masking, testing, vaccination, and improving
indoor ventilation.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
alerted doctors about an increase in severe cases of respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) among young children in Florida and
Georgia. This regional increase typically marks the beginning of
the RSV season nationally, which then spreads north and west over
the following 2-3 months. The late-summer increase suggests that
RSV is returning to its typical seasonal pattern after several years
of early viral activity due to the pandemic. Hospitalizations related
to RSV have increased among children under 4 years old, with the
majority being babies under a year old. The CDC has advised
doctors to prepare for a new RSV shot called Beyfortus
(nirsevimab) for young children to help prevent the virus. It's
expected to be available in early October.
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