The time for colds and coughs is here again. But while Influenza and RSV activity is “moderate and increasing” in California.COVID activity is unusually low for the vacation season.
The latest weekly update from the California Department of Public Health shows the flu test positivity rate increased nearly 4 percentage points to 13.2% in per week (as of Dec. 14, essentially the most recent data available). The COVID positivity rate is 2.3%, a rise of 0.2 percentage points from the previous week.
The The Department of Health's weekly updates are published most Fridaysbut respiratory virus reports for the last two weeks of the yr should not reported until January.
“COVID is increasing, but flu is currently leading the way,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus on the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
Since COVID emerged at the top of the 2019-2020 respiratory virus season, it has been by far the deadliest respiratory virus for which the state collects and publishes weekly data, even though it has killed fewer people in each of the previous few years in comparison with early within the yr Pandemic.
Since July 1, there have been 1,873 COVID deaths across California — with the summer surge not easing until late August — and 89 flu deaths.
After spiking in late summer, COVID deaths hit latest lows again, and as we enter the brand new yr, testing, hospitalizations and deaths are only starting to indicate signs of a rise.
“If you look at the wastewater data, the number of COVID-19 infections is clearly increasing across the United States and particularly in California,” Swartzberg said.
In Santa Clara County, wastewater measurements show the identical pattern. County public health officials are monitoring local wastewater and testing it for virus levels in 4 local sewage sheds. Accordingly aggregated wastewater surveillance data monitored by the state health departmentCOVID levels across the Bay Area region have just moved from low to moderate and are rising.
Influenza concentrations began to rise in November and continued to rise through December. RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) has been on the rise for the reason that end of November. Swartzberg said RSV could have peaked, but COVID continues to be expected to spike later within the season.
After a chronic surge that lasted from June to August, concentrations of COVID within the county's 4 sewers have been low since mid-October, with concentrations throughout the county at high levels more often than not.
Now December COVID levels seem like at their lowest levels lately. “It looks better than last year and last year was the best winter we had,” Swartzberg said.
Even though the variety of COVID vaccinations is lower than in the primary few years of their availability, there continues to be some immunity within the population against this summer's surge. But the number of people that have received the newest vaccination is, in Swartzberg’s opinion, “disappointingly low”. Influenza vaccination rates are higher, but nowhere near early COVID vaccination rates.
A brand new RSV vaccine beneficial for the very young, those over 75 and another high-risk people could help result in an overall improvement in virus rates this yr in comparison with last, Swartzberg said. Since this respiratory virus season began on July 1, California has reported 21 deaths as a result of the virus, including 4 children, in comparison with 33 at the identical time last yr. “RSV appears to be on track for a better year,” he said.
And while much has modified, including the prevalence of COVID at this yr's holiday dinners in comparison with past years, Swartzberg's general advice hasn't modified: “Please get vaccinated. It's not too late.”
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