The omicron subvariant JN.1 has been identified in at least 37 states and the District of Columbia as of Dec. 18, according to outbreak.info, a platform that tracks data on COVID-19 variants and is supported by the CDC and other national research groups.

Pediatric cases of respiratory syncytial virus led to more emergency hospitalizations than the omicron variant of COVID-19 and influenza, according to a study published Dec. 26 in JAMA.

Outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses have risen for the seventh week in a row, according to the CDC. COVID-19, flu and RSV hospitalizations are also up across the country. 

A combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, physician shortages, and delays to receive in-person care have led to the boom of subscription-style healthcare services that promise a fast review of symptoms and streamlined ordering of prescriptions. But experts are questioning if this is truly the answer medicine needs, according to CBS News.

Heading into the week of Christmas, new hospitalizations and emergency department visits for respiratory viruses continued to rise nationwide. 

First detected in September, the latest COVID-19 variant to emerge, JN.1, has rapidly spread and now accounts for 44.1% of cases in the U.S., according to CDC data.

When Michael Ugwueke, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, realized his community of Memphis was ranked as the second heaviest city in the U.S., he decided to take action.

Outpatient visits for flu-like illness continue to rise as flu activity increases in most parts of the country, according to the CDC's Dec. 22 FluView report.

A Colorado resident has tested positive for measles this month, marking the state's first case since January 2019, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment said Dec. 20.

New COVID-19 admissions continue to increase in the U.S., with 23,432 reported for the week ending Dec. 9. 

With the days of social distancing mostly behind us, increasing pressure and anticipation to get back to gatherings, show up in person for work and more are leading Americans to overuse cold and allergy medicines to mask symptoms from regular colds to ensure their attendance, Bloomberg reported Dec. 20.

Reports of hospitals operating over capacity are creeping up — a situation that could become more widespread over the next few weeks if COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus levels continue to rise, the CDC recently warned. 

As of late December, flu activity was highest in South Carolina and lowest in Vermont, CDC data shows. 

Respiratory virus season is well underway, and with holiday travel plans approaching, the CDC said it anticipates millions of people to get sick over the next two months, particularly as vaccination rates remain low. 

A growing number of states are reporting high levels of respiratory virus activity as COVID-19 and flu admissions continue to rise across the country, according to updated CDC data. 

Seasonal flu activity is up again for the sixth week in a row. According to the CDC, there were 7,090 flu-related hospitalizations in the last week, compared to 5,753 the week before.

As COVID-19-related hospital admissions have risen for another week in a row — 23,432 in the most recently reported week — the CDC is also alerting clinicians to low vaccination rates, urging them to emphasize its importance in preventing severe infection.

The CDC has issued an alert to clinicians warning of rising cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children following COVID-19 infections.

In 2023, infectious disease research inched closer to, but still fell short of, conclusively landing on a standard definition for long COVID. There's still much to discover about how the post-infection condition manifests in some patients, but not others, as well as therapeutic solutions and for what length of time long COVID may actually last, experts told Becker's.

The physical health of adults in the U.S. has significantly deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with obesity and diabetes rates at or nearing record highs, a new Gallup report shows.