People walk past an H&M store in the Glendale Galleria shopping mall on the day after Christmas. California witnessed a rapid increase in influenza activity and emergency department visits for COVID-19 in the first three weeks of December.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
California witnessed a rapid increase in influenza activity and emergency department visits for COVID-19 during the third week of December. The surge — which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show continued nationally through the final week of 2023 — is attributed to holiday gatherings, travel and the newly identified JN.1 coronavirus variant.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Nationwide, the last week of December saw 78,905 emergency department admissions for COVID-19 and 136,668 for influenza, marking respective increases of 72% and 225% from the previous month. In the past week alone, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States rose by nearly 17%, totaling 29,059 new patients, marking the highest recorded data since last January.
The virus continues to claim at least 1,200 lives each week.
California stands among the states with the highest respiratory virus activity, constituting almost 6.3% of all emergency department visits as of Dec. 23. Approximately 80% of the state’s inpatient beds were occupied, with nearly 70% of intensive care beds in use. COVID-19 deaths, meanwhile, increased by 31% week over week during the third week of December.
The CDC warns that the worst is yet to come. In its latest summary, the agency notes, “Seasonal influenza activity is elevated and increasing in most parts of the country. COVID-19 activity also remains elevated overall and is increasing in many areas.” RSV cases increased during the fall, but recent data suggests that they have leveled off and, in certain locations, are now decreasing.
Wastewater data confirms that COVID-19 viral activity is at its second-highest peak nationally.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Additionally, more than 14,000 Americans were hospitalized for the flu during the last week of December.
“What we’re seeing right now, in the first week of January, is really an acceleration — of flu cases, in particular,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California witnessed a rapid increase in influenza activity and emergency department visits for COVID-19 in the first three weeks of December. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show the surge continued nationally through the final week of December.
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle 2021The severity of COVID-19 cases is surpassing that of the flu, yet the increase in COVID-19 cases has been less steep.
This spike in infections coincides with a stall in vaccination numbers. Federal data indicates that only 18% of Americans have received the new coronavirus vaccine, while 42% have received the flu shot.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Hospitals in at least four states, including California, have reinstated mask mandates in response to the rising illnesses.
Last week, Los Angeles County health officials issued an order requiring all health care personnel and visitors to wear face coverings in patient care areas. Most Bay Area hospitals reinstated masking rules for employees months ago, in anticipation of a seasonal rush of sick people. Meanwhile, clinics at UC San Diego have barred children under 12 from entering hospitals due to the high risk of infection.
The CDC directs people to an agency website where they can check their county-specific information and make informed decisions regarding mask-wearing and other precautions.
Health officials are monitoring JN.1, a new variant of the coronavirus.
First detected in the U.S. in September, it constituted approximately 44% of COVID-19 cases just before Christmas. While JN.1 might spread more easily and potentially evade the immune system, there’s no evidence of it causing more severe illness than recent variants. Current data suggests vaccines and antiviral medications remain effective against it.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead for COVID-19, emphasized over the weekend that the virus remains a significant threat as the world enters the fifth year of the pandemic.
“(I)t’s still a global health threat and it’s still a pandemic causing far too many (re)infections, hospitalizations, deaths and long covid when tools exist to prevent them,” she wrote on social media.
Van Kerkhove urged people not to become complacent and emphasized the importance of maintaining preventive measures like masking and vaccination.
“Governments must not be complacent, individuals must not be complacent. We have all gone through something traumatic with #COVID19,” she said. “The world shut down, we lost millions of our loved ones, billions have been personally affected by COVID. We cannot forget.”
Reach Aidin Vaziri: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
"come" - Google News
January 04, 2024 at 04:11AM
https://ift.tt/yi1UuTR
COVID hospitalizations, deaths surge in California — and worst is yet to come, CDC warns - San Francisco Chronicle
"come" - Google News
https://ift.tt/rdbvBeo
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "COVID hospitalizations, deaths surge in California — and worst is yet to come, CDC warns - San Francisco Chronicle"
Post a Comment