RSV continued its sharp rise in Pennsylvania, with about 4,200 cases reported during the week ending Saturday, according to the latest data from the state health department.
RSV, while often similar to a bad cold, can pose a major health threat to very young children and seniors, potentially causing hospitalization and even death.
The weekly level of RSV cases is already well above that of most seasons dating back to 2017-18, although still below last year’s peak, which was an especially bad year.
Central Pa. hospitals expecting another bad year for RSV as pediatric cases rise
Central Pa. doctors sound warning about RSV threat to babies, young children
The flu, RSV and other respiratory illness season officially begins Oct. 1 in Pennsylvania and often picks up steam shortly after Thanksgiving, when holiday gatherings give the viruses prime opportunities to spread.
The worst of the season often happens during the month or so after the Christmas-New Year holidays.
Pennsylvania registered 2,866 flu cases during the week ending Saturday, up from about 2,000 cases the previous week, and 1,226 the week before that. Keep in mind that most people who get the flu don’t get tested. The reported figures only reflect test results forwarded to the state health department, which collects them largely to track the flu and circulating strains, but not to try to count all the cases.
It’s too early to know if Pennsylvania is heading into one of its more severe flu seasons, which can strain hospitals.
The path of the flu so far is similar to two years ago, when weekly cases peaked at about 5,000.
Last year was one of Pennsylvania’s worst flu seasons in terms of reported cases, peaking at nearly 26,000 weekly cases. However, the peak came unusually early, with cases then plummeting and staying very low for the rest of the season.
Here are some noteworthy data points:
Hospital admissions of people with COVID-19 “increased slightly” from the previous week. It’s important to note this reflects people who test positive for COVID-19, but may be hospitalized for other reasons, and not significantly sick because of COVID-19.
The 965 people with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital during the most recent week is up from 851 the previous week. The level is slightly less than the same week a year earlier and well below the same week in 2021, when nearly 3,000 people with COVID-19 were admitted.
There have been 475 COVID-19-related deaths in Pennsylvania since Oct. 1. That’s based on death certificates that list COVID-19. Deaths certificates might list additional contributing illnesses, such as cancer.
The main flu strain circulating so far is A/H1N1. That’s good news because it’s one of the four strains covered by the 2023-24 flu vaccine.
Ten flu-related deaths have been reported so far in Pa.
