It’s that time of year again when New Jersey hospitals are seeing an increase in admissions associated with COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. Since the week ending Oct. 25, hospitalizations associated with these respiratory viruses have increased, according to the state’s latest respiratory illness surveillance report.
The majority of hospitalizations with influenza and COVID have been reported in ages 65 and older, while the majority of admissions with RSV have been reported in children 0-4 years old and adults 65 years and older. Despite the increase, cases are nowhere near the peak they reached last season when the “quad-demic” was in full swing and overall respiratory illness activity in New Jersey was very high. However, cases are expected to rise as colder weather drives people to gather indoors more frequently.
“We’re definitely starting to see the general surge that we always see in respiratory season, especially as you start having these large community gatherings and things could spread quite easily,” said Meghan Faulkner, a certified pediatric acute care nurse practitioner and clinical instructor at Rutgers School of Nursing. Nationally, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care is at low or very low levels in most states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To read the full story.