- Overall, the rate of hospitalizations associated with respiratory viruses increased 3-fold between the end of November and end of December (209.2% increase).
- Respiratory viruses now are associated with 9.3% of all hospitalizations. Rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations increased more than 8-fold and now are associated with 4.3% of all hospitalization (up from 0.5% at the end of November).
- Overall, HMPV rates increased by 84.7%; however, hospitalizations associated with HMPV remain low (0.2% of all hospitalizations).
- RSV-associated hospitalizations continue to increase in the population 4 and under. 7.5% of the hospitalizations in this population are associated with RSV. 10.7% of hospitalizations in the children and infant population are associated with respiratory viruses
- In the population of adults over the age of 65, 11.2% of hospitalizations are associated with respiratory viruses (a 257.8% increase, up from 3.1% in late November). Influenza is the main driver of this, increasing from 0.5% in November to 5.2% in late December (875.8% increase). It is now the respiratory virus associated with most hospitalizations overall and in the population over 65. COVID- and RSV-associated hospitalizations are also increasing in this population (168.9% and 287.3%, respectively).
Respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), continue to contribute to hospitalizations across the United States. Vulnerable populations, such as infants, children, and older adults, are particularly at risk of severe outcomes. Few sources regularly monitor hospitalizations associated with respiratory viruses. Truveta Research has created a respiratory virus monitoring report to supplement the surveillance data provided by the CDC by describing weekly trends in the rate of hospitalizations overall and for each of the six most common respiratory viruses: COVID-19, influenza, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), parainfluenza virus, RSV, and rhinovirus. This information can inform decisions about public health, clinical care, and public policy.
Because Truveta Data provides the most complete, timely, and clean de-identified EHR data, including full patient medical records, notes, and images, linked with claims, SDOH, and mortality data for more than 120 million patients across the US, we can show the latest trends in these respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations, including valuable insight into two at-risk populations: infants and children (age 0-4 years old) and older adults (age 65 and over).
This blog provides a snapshot of the key findings with data through December 29, 2024, in the report specific to the overall population across all respiratory viruses, as well as for two high-risk populations: infants and children (age 0-4 years old) and older adults (age 65 and older). For the full analysis – inclusive of demographics, comorbidities, and overall trends in virus-associated hospitalizations across all age groups for each virus – see the complete monitoring report with data through December 2024 on MedRxiv.
Key findings: Trends in respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations
Using a subset of Truveta Data, we identified 666,024 hospitalizations of 615,446 unique patients who tested positive for a respiratory virus between October 01, 2020, and December 29, 2024.
Overall hospitalization rates increasing with significant spike in influenza
The overall rate of respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations increased substantially in December. There was a 209.2% increase in the rate of hospitalizations from the last week in November to the last week of December, with respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations accounting for 9.3% of all hospitalizations.
Notably, influenza-related hospitalizations increased more than 8-fold and now are associated with 4.3% of hospitalization (up from 0.5% at the end of November).
While HMPV rates increased by 84.7%, hospitalizations associated with HMPV remain low (0.2% of all hospitalizations).
RSV continues to rise in pediatric populations
Among children aged 0–4 years, hospitalizations associated with respiratory viruses increased by 33.7% between the week of November 25 and December 23, 2024.
RSV-associated hospitalizations continue to rise for a third month in a row (+48.7%) and are now comprising 7.5% of all hospitalizations in this age group.
Influenza-associated hospitalizations saw the biggest increase (+284.5%), followed by HMPV (+92.2%). COVID-related hospitalizations saw a small increase (+8.3%).
By late December, 10.7% of all hospitalizations for children under age 5 were associated with a respiratory virus.
Influenza-related hospitalizations dramatically increasing in adults over the age of 65
Among adults aged 65 and older, hospitalizations related to respiratory viruses rose by 257.8% throughout December. By late December, respiratory virus-related hospitalizations made up 11.2% of all hospitalizations in this age group (up from 3.9% in November).
Influenza-related hospitalizations saw the most dramatic increase (+875.8%), followed by RSV- (+287.3%), COVID- (+168.9%), and HMPV-associated hospitalizations (+157.2%).
Discussion
It is important for public health experts and clinical providers to understand the trends in these infections to inform decisions about public health, clinical care, and public policy. Connecting population-level trends with granular clinical information available in Truveta Studio can be very useful to understand which populations are most impacted and may require additional support.
We will continue to monitor respiratory virus-associated hospitalization overall and for at-risk populations throughout this 2024-2025 respiratory virus season (October 2024 through September 2025).
View previous monitoring reports
Learn more about how Truveta Data supports timely disease monitoring – contact us for a demo
