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The weekly COVID-19, flu & RSV update: We are past the holiday season peak

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Related Show: Asheville FM News Hour

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

 

ASHEVILLE, NC –  February 28, 2024 – We are past the holiday season peak for respiratory viral infections.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on February 17th shows:  

  • Hospital admission levels are low in about 85% of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in more than 90% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 1%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S. by about 5% and increased in North Carolina and Buncombe County from the previous week.
  • About 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3rd lowest level of 6 groups.
  • Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This represents about 3% of all ER visits, the 2nd lowest level of 5 groups

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on February 14th shows:

  • The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80th and 100th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
  • The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has increased from the previous week, at 1-9%, the lowest level of 3 groups for a positive rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on February 17th indicates that North Carolina is at a moderate level. Last week, North Carolina was at a high level.

The CDC reported that the 3-week average for the percent positivity for RSV PCR tests in North Carolina for the week ending on February 17th shows that it continues to decrease, to below 2%.

The North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on February 17th shows that

  • The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased.
  • COVID and flu hospital admissions have increased
  • There were more COVID admissions than flu.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC director, told Yahoo Life, if you are starting to feel sick with a cough, sore throat or fever: get tested, get treatment, and stay home.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org

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