Prognosis

Flu, Covid and RSV Are on the Rise and Already Burdening Hospitals

Estimated flu rates doubled over week ending Oct. 28, CDC says
Rates of RSV, lung virus that threatens children, also rising

A nasopharyngeal sample collection kit that tests for RSV, Covid-19, and influenza A and B at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, On Nov. 1. — A nasopharyngeal sample collection kit that tests for RSV, Covid-19, and influenza A and B at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, On Nov. 1.
Photographer: Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images

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By Madison Muller, Immanual John Milton, and Jeannie Baumann

November 4, 2022 at 4:18 PM UTC

Updated on

November 4, 2022 at 7:01 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Flu and other lung viruses, including one that poses its greatest dangers to young children and the elderly, are spreading rapidly in an early-season outbreak that’s alarming doctors and burdening hospitals.

Estimated illnesses from flu this season roughly doubled over the week ending Oct. 28 to about 1.6 million, according the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while hospitalizations rose at a similar rate to 13,000 and estimated deaths hit 730.