Ahead of the holidays, some medical circles feared that holiday gatherings among millions upon millions of families across America could trigger a dangerous outbreak of respiratory disease.
Now, new data from the US government suggests that was not the case.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that doctor’s office visits for flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week.
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“Seasonal influenza activity continues but is decreasing in most areas,” the CDC wrote on its website.
The CDC also said reports of RSV, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be severe for infants and the elderly, are also declining.
Doctors feared ahead of the holidays that winter gatherings could lead to an upsurge in influenza, RSV and COVID.
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In the fall, when influenza and RSV cases spiked and caused overcrowding in pediatric emergency rooms, some doctors feared winter would bring a so-called tripledemic of influenza, RSV, and COVID. -19.
They feared holiday gatherings were the spark. But that apparently didn’t happen.
RSV hospitalizations have been falling since November – and flu hospitalizations are also down.
“Right now everything is still going downhill,” said CDC’s Lynnette Brammer.
She leads the government agency’s flu tracker in the United States, according to the Associated Press.
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RSV hospitalizations have been falling since November – and flu hospitalizations are also down.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News medical contributor, told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning, agreed that “there has been an immune pause” recently for a variety of reasons, including the recent “fierce lockdowns” in Australia.
That’s not to say some people didn’t get sick. Many families said that at least one or more of their members had done something during the holidays after group gatherings.
Some doctors say patient traffic is decreasing right now, while some still wonder and worry about what the omicron COVID-19 subvariants might bring.
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The situation is patchy across the country, the Associated Press reported – with some areas experiencing more illnesses than others.
But some doctors say patient traffic is decreasing.
“It’s really eased off, significantly,” Dr. Ethan Wiener, a pediatric emergency physician at NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York City, told the AP.
A doctor said there was an increase in COVID-19 traffic at St. Louis Children’s in December. But the situation was not like a year ago, he said.
Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious disease physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri, also told the outlet that “it’s slowed down tremendously.”
Newland said he was not surprised flu and RSV have continued to drop in recent weeks – but added: ‘The question is what is COVID going to do?
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 increased through December, including during the week after Christmas, the CDC said.
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A data set from the CDC appears to show they began to decline after the New Year, although an agency spokeswoman noted that another tally indicates a slight increase since last week.
Due to reporting delays, it may be a few weeks before the CDC can be sure COVID-19 hospitalizations have really started to drop, Newland told the AP.
A patient talks to a doctor in the examination room. It makes sense that respiratory infections could rebound amid holiday travel and gatherings – and it’s unclear why it didn’t happen, medical professionals say.
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He also said there was an increase in COVID-19 traffic at St. Louis Children’s in December.
But he noted that the situation was nothing like it was a year ago, when the then-new omicron variant caused the largest national increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the start. of the pandemic.
“It was the worst,” he said.
Last week, Dr. Siegel also told Fox News Digital that the relatively new COVID-19 omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 “is the most easily transmitted sub-variant so far.”
He said that “not only does it bind well to cells, it’s also the most immunoevasive.” Siegel is a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.
The CDC recently revised down its estimate of the amount of XBB.1.5 circulating in the United States.
The sub-variant – dubbed “Kraken” by some – is also spreading around the world.
Maria Van Kerkhove, Ph.D, technical lead for the World Health Organization, said XBB.1.5 is “the most transmissible subvariant detected to date,” WebMD reported.
Although this subvariant continues to spread at a faster rate than other versions of COVID-19, the CDC recently revised down its estimate of the amount of XBB.1.5 circulating in the United States.
Why RSV and flu outbreaks probably went away
The fall surge of RSV and influenza has been felt most intensely in children’s health care centers.
Wiener said pediatric emergency department traffic in Hassenfeld was 50% above normal levels in October, November and December – “the highest volumes on record” for this time of year, he said. he stated, according to the AP.
Experts have said it is still possible that a second wave of illnesses is yet to come.
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The RSV and influenza outbreaks likely subsided because so many of the vulnerable population became infected “and it kind of burned out,” he said.
It makes sense that respiratory infections could rebound amid holiday trips and gatherings — and it’s unclear why that didn’t happen, Brammer said.
That said, flu season is not over, the AP pointed out.
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Thirty-six states are still reporting high or very high levels of influenza activity, he noted.
It’s still possible that a second wave of illnesses is yet to come, experts said.
Dr Siegel said: ‘I think we’re past the worst’ in terms of flu in the US – although he said flu season usually peaks in January.
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The CDC continues to recommend that everyone “six months and older” get the flu shot.
“An annual flu shot is the best way to protect against the flu. Vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious consequences for people who get vaccinated but still get the flu,” says the CDC on its website.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.