Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unwelcome Guest For Turkey Day: Flu Hits High Levels In 30 States
CIDRAP: Flu Rises To High Levels Across Most Of US
Flu activity is at high or very high levels in 30 states as the nation approaches the Thanksgiving holiday, with H3N2 still dominant but with a growing percentage of 2009 H1N1 viruses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said [Friday] in its weekly update. (11/18)
NBC News: How Bad Is Flu? CDC Reports Most Of The U.S. With High Or Very High Flu Levels
Influenza continues its fast and furious spread across the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. Most of the worst of respiratory illnesses remain concentrated in Southern states like Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. There are signs that flu is ramping up in other areas such as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, according to the CDC. (Edwards, 11/18)
The Washington Post: RSV, Covid And Flu Push Hospitals To The Brink — And It May Get Worse
When Christina Anderson’s mother started having chest pains in October, they rushed to the nearest emergency room in their hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa. Because of her mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis, Anderson assumed they would be seen within a reasonable time. Instead, their trip became a nine-hour odyssey. “When we first walked in, it was packed and unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Anderson said. “I saw people laying across the chairs; some slumped over who had been there for hours before we arrived, and some even got frustrated and left because they couldn’t wait anymore.” (Malhi, 11/20)
Also —
Fox News: RSV Surge Raises Questions About Repeat Cases: Can You Or Child Get It Again?
As respiratory syncytial virus, otherwise known as RSV, continues to surge across the United States, experts warn it’s possible people can be infected with it more than once. Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital this week, "A person can get RSV more than once in their lifetime." (Sudhakar, 11/19)
The Washington Post: RSV Vs. Flu Vs. Covid-19 — What’s The Difference?
Cases of covid, flu and RSV are colliding, keeping kids home from school, straining hospital systems and prompting worries about a potential “tripledemic.” Cases of respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, have surged, the flu season has come early, and covid-19 cases are beginning to rise. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 5.8 percent of outpatient visits now are due to respiratory illnesses whose symptoms include fever plus a cough or sore throat, well above the normal baseline of 2.5 percent. (Amenabar, 11/18)
Fox News: American Academy Of Pediatrics Urges Biden Administration To Declare Emergency Over 'Unprecedented' RSV Surge
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association are calling on the Biden administration to declare an emergency to a support a national response to an "alarming surge of pediatric respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza." (Norman, 11/18)
The Boston Globe: Anxieties Rising As Supply Of Antibiotic Used For Children’s Infections Falls Short
“I got an automated call from CVS saying we don’t have your medication, and I was on hold forever. The next three hours were beyond hellacious,” said Jennifer Cronin, an Ashland mother who frantically tried to fill an amoxicillin prescription Thursday for her 4-year old son’s ear infection. (Lazar, Freyer and Bartlett, 11/20)
