Winter surge of respiratory and GI viral infections
January 21, 2025
Respiratory Virus Hospitalizations, U.S.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 13, 2025
There’s a lot of illness around!
COVID-19 hospitalization rates remain substantially lower than in January of previous years, but influenza hospitalizations and office visits for respiratory disease are climbing. Influenza and COVID-19 rates are especially high in Arizona.
Vaccinations are effective at preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, although it’s best to be vaccinated for seasonal viruses like influenza by mid-fall. . Vaccinations take about two weeks to “train” the immune system to protect against disease, and hopefully the flu and COVID-19 levels will be on the decline over the coming weeks.
Antiviral treatment can decrease the duration and risk of spread of both influenza and COVID-19, but the medications need to be taken within two days of first symptoms for influenza and five to seven days of first symptoms for COVID-19.
Norovirus, Boston MA
Source: Wastewater Tracker January 13, 2025
Many Americans are also getting gastrointestinal disease. Norovirus rates are high nationally. Norovirus causes nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps, and epidemics of norovirus are hard to control because the virus can live on solid objects touched by those with infections. Hand washing can reduce the spread of norovirus, and the CDC has warned about against eating contaminated oysters from the Pacific Northwest and Korea. Hand washing is more effective at preventing the spread of norovirus than alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Implications for employers:
Employers can remind employees of their sick leave policies, and not to come to the workplace if they have a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness.
If there are large local outbreaks of either respiratory or gastrointestinal illness, options to work remotely can help prevent workplace transmission.
Consider updating travel policies to address what employees should do if they become sick while traveling for work.
Employers can offer convenient hand washing facilities and remind employees to scrub hands for 20 seconds for the best protection. (I find that many bathrooms have automatic water shutoff at 10 seconds.)
Thanks for reading. You can find previous posts in the Employer Coverage archive
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Wednesday: Carriers earn more profit on self- insured products with Patricia Toro, MD MPH