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While the U.S. is only a few weeks into winter, this year’s respiratory virus season is already looking different than last year’s. Covid and flu are both surging and there’s no peak in sight. During the previous winter, flu and RSV got off to an early start but were already declining by the time hospitalizations from the omicron virus started to spike in December 2022.

The worst situation is in Rome and its region, where more than 1,100 patients are waiting to be admitted, according to the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine and Urgent Care. Just a few days ago, ambulances were queuing outside hospitals in Rome. In other regions, such as Lombardy, patients are crammed into waiting rooms until a bed becomes available. In cities such as Turin, hospital overcrowding has even led to a shortage of stretchers for patients. Emergency departments in Italian hospitals are in chaos and on the verge of collapse. The worst situation is in Rome and its region, where...

Rise In Flu Cases Sparks Call For Face Mask Recall Patient and doctor wearing face masks. Credit: Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock.com AS Spain wrestles with the resurgence of respiratory illnesses, doctors are requesting that face masks be mandatory in primary care. In light of the escalating flu cases, similar to pre-pandemic levels, the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC) has urged the reinstatement of mandatory masks in Primary Care centres. In late December, Spain experienced a significant increase in respiratory illnesses, including flu, COVID-19, and bronchiolitis, impacting Primary Care and emergency hospital services. This surge in cases has led to...

One of the nation’ top children’s hospitals must pay $45,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by a maintenance worker who refused to get a flu shot for religious reasons. DeMaurius Jackson worked at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) in Georgia as a maintenance assistant. According to court documents, Jackson’s duties primarily consisted of groundskeeping in outdoor parking lots, which required minimal interaction with the public. Jackson said his work involved no close proximity to patients, visitors, or staff. According to Jackson’s complaint, he converted to Judaism in November of 2016. In 2017 and 2018, Jackson requested and received...

Covid-19 struck Beth Green just in time for Christmas, upending her annual holiday gatherings. She planned on hosting her extended family at her Derry Township home on Dec. 23. She was especially excited because it’s difficult to get two of her adult sons together with their hectic schedules. Green, an administrator at a long-term care facility, said her covid symptoms weren’t serious. She went ahead with altered plans to host. She wore an N95 mask. She told family to attend at their own risk. Some did. Some didn’t.

Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily. High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states — up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. “Folks are traveling a lot more this season. They want to see their families,” said the CDC's Dr. Manisha Patel. "And all of that sort of adds to the mix” in the...

Winter officially begins Thursday, and with the cold season comes an expected rise in rates of flu and Covid, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is seeing a "sharp increase" in flu levels right now, particularly in the south, Cohen said Wednesday in an interview. Covid cases also appear to be climbing nationally, she said, while cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, seem to have reached their highest point this season. "We’re seeing RSV peak a bit sooner, but we do not believe we’re near yet at the peak...

According to my doctors office today, there will be no more standalone flu vaccinations next year. They will be combined with covid.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged there is no data supporting the co-administration of vaccines for mpox, COVID-19, and influenza, in contradiction of advice a top agency official gave to the public."There are no data on administering JYNNEOS vaccine at the same time as other vaccines," the CDC said.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 25, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)The acknowledgment was made in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by attorneys for the nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network, which regularly challenges health agencies...

CASES of a "super flu" that leaves sufferers with "brains like porridge" are soaring, officials data suggests. In England, suspected cases of the bug climbed to 1,178 in the week ending December 10, more than triple the 370 confirmed a fortnight ago. Flu cases began rising significantly in October but still appear lower than last year, according to suspected cases from the notification of infectious diseases data (NOID) report. Around 402 patients were in hospital with flu last week, up two-thirds on the 243 the previous week and more than double the 153 a fortnight ago, NHS data shows. People...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent out a "health advisory" on Dec. 14 regarding "low vaccination rates" for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19.The agency stated that the relatively low vaccination rates "could lead to more severe disease and increased healthcare capacity strain in the coming weeks" and "reports of increased respiratory disease have been described in multiple countries recently.""Healthcare providers should administer influenza, COVID-19, and RSV immunizations now to patients, if recommended," the CDC stated.The CDC is tracking "increased respiratory disease activity in the United States for several respiratory pathogens," but it made no...

(NEXSTAR) — As Americans prepare to gather for the holidays, many say they fear becoming sick in the coming months. Based on the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those concerns may be genuine. While the CDC doesn’t track COVID-19 testing as closely as it did during the pandemic, it does still track other COVID-related data. That includes hospital admissions for COVID, jumped by almost 9% in the most recent week of data, through Nov. 11. The percentage of people visiting the emergency room and testing positive for COVID is up by 7%, and the number...

Covid and flu shots can be safely given at the same time, and according to a small new study, doing so may even confer benefits. Findings presented Monday at the Vaccines Summit Boston, an annual scientific conference, suggest that giving Covid and flu shots together could produce a stronger antibody response against the coronavirus than administering the vaccines separately. The study measured the antibody levels of 42 health care workers in Massachusetts who were vaccinated last fall. Twelve of the participants received a bivalent Covid booster and seasonal influenza shot on the same day. Another 30 received the shots on...

While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older should receive the annual flu vaccine, most people haven’t – at least not yet. Only 22.7% of adults and 20.8% of children have gotten the flu shot this fall, according to CDC data from October 14. Why is it important for everyone eligible to receive the flu shot? How effective is it? Do people who have had the flu before still need a shot? Why is it necessary every year? When is the best time to get it? And what else should people do...

Flu activity is on the rise as hospitalizations and emergency room visits for COVID-19 are declining, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported. Some parts of the country are seeing increased flu activity, though it’s still low in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, lab reports indicate. Levels of flu were stable in other parts of the country. On the whole, visits to outpatient clinics for flu care expanded by 2.3%. Four regions in the Southeast and West part had slight increases in flu hospitalizations, but the hospitalizations were low in other parts of...

There’s much to look forward to at the start of winter. The holiday season starts winter off with a bang, while outdoor enthusiasts know their chances to hit the slopes and ski and snowboard are just beginning. Sports fans know January marks the return of the National Football League playoffs, while travelers who need a little winter warmth often designate February as a month to soak up some sun in a faraway locale. With so much to do each winter, it’s especially problematic when you come down with a cold. However, winter tends to be cold and flu season in...

PCR and rapid tests aren't the only places where evidence of SARS-COV-2, commonly known as COVID-19, shows up. The virus that causes COVID-19 also turns up in a city's wastewater. Because of that, wastewater has become a powerful tool to give scientists early glimpses into when infections are peaking. "Wastewater actually tells us a really great story," said Amanda Wegner, communications and public affairs director at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. "What we've learned with viruses is that people shed the virus. When they use the bathroom, that enters the wastewater stream." According to the Centers for Disease Control and...

Of course, the study was designed to show a different effect. But it "accidentally" revealed that the COVID and flu shots don't reduce your risk of hospitalization from the virus they are designed forSteve KirschOct 17, 2023 Executive summaryI just love it when a paper designed to show a pro-narrative result accidentally shows data proving that neither the COVID nor the flu shots reduce your risk of hospitalization from their respective diseases for the elderly. A double whammy.The ridiculous CDC claimYou can’t make this stuff up. You really can’t.For the record, here’s what the CDC said: About the JAMA paperRisk...

President Joe Biden has been double jabbed, getting a COVID-19 shot and a flu shot, The White House confirmed. White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, confirmed in a memo that Biden, 80, received both shots on Friday. O’Connor also said Biden was vaccinated several weeks ago against the respiratory illness known as RSV. “As we enter the cold and flu season, the President encourages all Americans to follow his example and to check with their healthcare provider or pharmacist to assure that they are fully vaccinated,” the physician wrote in a memo.

A new COVID variant is circulating. Flu season is about to begin. Respiratory syncytial virus (known as RSV) is becoming a greater cause of hospitalizations. But this fall, something is different. The country has new vaccines for COVID, influenza and RSV, the three fall respiratory viruses that hospitalize and kill hundreds of thousands annually. “Go get those vaccines and it will make a dramatic difference in your getting sick this winter,” Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID response coordinator, told NPR. “We are going to be dealing with respiratory viruses forever but we are getting better at building treatments...