Health Experts warned for a Spike in Influenza & Covid-19 Cases after Spring Break

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People are gathering on beaches and just 5 to 10 percent of them wear masks. The health experts in Pinellas County are continuously monitoring an expected spike in Covid-19 and flu cases. The major difference in the current year pointed to more available tools to combat Covid-19 than 2 previous deadly outbreaks.

An associate professor at USF College of Public Health, Dr. Jill Roberts also showed her concerns. She said it is the latest message right now that the Covid-19 virus hasn’t completely gone. We now have a different scenario regarding our risks because of getting and having a significant amount of coronavirus vaccines.

Gathering at Tampa Bay Area Beaches

The health experts said people are throwing all warnings to the air and massively gathering at Tampa Bay area beaches. So, they are continuously watching and monitoring the situation for an increase in both Covid-19 and flu cases.

Dr. Roberts said the omicron wave has fortunately crashed out this year. But it isn’t entirely gone and still has a considerable amount of transmission in some areas. She also showed her concerns about an expected spike in both flu and Covid-19 cases because of the presence of the omicron variant.

The health officials said people should wear masks inside gatherings, at crowded places, and at specific areas with vaccinated people. It is the best way to continue enjoying spring break while working and keeping the community safe.

It is noteworthy that CDC has provided a description of its influenza surveillance system. The mechanism includes methodology and entire descriptions of each data component. It is now available on the surveillance methods page of the official website of the CDC.

The Influenza Surveillance in the US

The federal agency says the influenza infection is again increasing across the country. The massive increases were reported in the central and south-central areas in the United States. The most frequently detected infections during this season were influenza A (H3N2) viruses.

Clinical Labs in the Country

The clinical labs nationwide also performed tests and provided results that are visible on the CDC official website. The data from clinical labs were also utilized to monitor the expected increase or decrease in influenza virus activity. It includes the percentage of specimens tested and found positive for influenza infection.

Public Health Labs in the US

The public health labs reported around 8,330 influenza-positive cases during this season. They all tested for SARS-CoV-2 and detected 491 or 5.9% positive cases for the virus. People can visit ‘Flu View Interactive’ for regional and state-level data as well as age group distribution.

CDC Classified the Influenza Virus

The federal health agency performs genetic and antigenic classification of viruses in the US. The state and local public health labs submit data including the submission guidance using the Right Size Roadmap. The CDC uses data to compare the similarity in the currently circulating influenza viruses.

It is important that these influenza viruses are the reference viruses representing containing viruses in the current influenza vaccines. The agency also uses the data to monitor variations that are randomly happening in human circulating influenza viruses.

CDC has genetically classified 768 collected influenza viruses since 3rd October 2021. The H3N2 viruses were detected during this season that found closely linked to the vaccine virus. However, some antigenic differences have significantly developed as H3N2 viruses.