Influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus infections are rising across the U.S., and in New York, an emerging flu strain is affecting healthcare sites particularly hard.
Leaders of Northwell Health, a 28-hospital system based in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said Dec. 18 a statewide surge in viral infections is affecting its emergency departments, urgent cares and primary care practices.
The cases arise as several viruses course through the country, including influenza, COVID-19, RSV, pertussis, measles and norovirus. Collectively, they are intensifying pressure on health systems.
In one week, flu hospitalizations increased 75% across New York, from 798 hospitalizations in late November to 1,399 in early December, according to the state’s health department. The rest of the U.S. is seeing flu hospitalization rates higher and earlier than past seasons.
For example, flu-related ED visits surged 90% in Texas — from 5,224 during the week ending Dec. 6 and 9,993 the week ending Dec. 13.
New York’s case count of COVID-19, influenza and RSV cases jumped after Thanksgiving, according to Northwell, which characterized the pattern as a “tripledemic.”
The 2023-24 respiratory virus season brought about its own “tripledemic” when COVID-19, flu and RSV cases peaked in January 2024 at higher-than-normal levels.
Across the U.S., respiratory illness activity is low but increasing, according to the CDC. As of Dec. 12, ED visits for COVID-19 are very low and increasing, while ED visits for flu or RSV are low and increasing.
Flu hospitalization cases are evenly split between children and older adults, Northwell said, and its Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York City is at capacity.
“Flu is rising a lot faster than it did last year,” Dwayne Breining, MD, senior vice president of lab services at Northwell, said during a Dec. 18 news conference.
“The other two [COVID-19 and RSV] are rising but not as fast as they did last year,” Dr. Breining said. “That’s driven by a couple of things. What’s very concerning for us is the cases of flu are rising at like 35% per week; the hospitalizations are rising at 75% per week. So we’re keeping a close eye on that trend. It could mean the flu is more severe.”
Experts have said a mutated version of H3N2, “subclade K,” could be fueling the current uptick in flu activity amid earlier and more intense outbreaks abroad. The strain is a version of the influenza A virus, which is generally known to cause more severe illness, particularly in older adults and young children.
At Northwell, more than one-third of flu tests for the week ending Dec. 14 were positive for influenza A’s H3 subtype. The same week period in 2024 saw a 10% flu positivity rate.
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