(NEXSTAR) – A number of states are seeing a spike in hospital visits caused by respiratory illnesses as we enter the New Year.
Nationally, emergency department visits from patients suffering from influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are now “very high,” the CDC’s most top level, according to the most recent data. Flu, RSV and COVID-19 visits are all increasing as we near mid-January, however COVID visits are still at a low level.
The states with the most ER visits for respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to COVID-19 are Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and New Hampshire, according to the CDC.
The CDC calculates its activity levels (minimal, low, moderate, high, very high) with a baseline of the average illness activity level during times when COVID, flu and RSV visits were low.
Pediatric hospitals have been busy since November with RSV, but “influenza has now joined the party,” said Dr. Jason Newland, an infectious diseases specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
“Now we’re really starting to roll,” he added. ”Our hospitals are busy.”
What are the symptoms of flu, RSV and COVID-19?
Anyone who has battled a mystery respiratory illness may have wondered what exactly they have while recovering.
For concerned parents, those symptoms can be especially troubling.
“Every child runs a gauntlet of infections during the first five years of their life,” pediatric infectious disease specialist Frank Esper, MD explained in a news release. “Navigating childhood illnesses can be challenging for parents.”
Unfortunately, when it comes to RSV, flu and COVID-19, they can arrive with many of the same symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, congestion and tiredness.
To know for sure, healthcare professionals may use a diagnostic test, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases …
