- Influenza continues to be on the rise. Influenza-related hospitalizations increased by 53.7% and now are associated with 6.8% of all hospitalizations.
- For kids aged 4 and younger and adults aged 65 and older, the current rate of influenza-related hospitalizations is two times higher than the peak of last season.
- For all populations, respiratory virus-related hospitalizations make up 9.6% of all hospitalizations.
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 closed claims 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 February 2, 2025 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 the beginning of February 2025 on MedRxiv.
Key findings: Trends in respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations
Using a subset of Truveta Data, we identified 697,733 hospitalizations of 643,063 unique patients who tested positive for a respiratory virus between October 01, 2020 and February 2, 2025.
Overall hospitalization rates increasing with ongoing spike in influenza
The overall rate of respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations increased slightly in January. There was a 3.1% increase in the rate of hospitalizations from the last week in December to the week of January 27, with respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations accounting for 9.6% of all hospitalizations.
The overall rate of respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations increased slightly in January. There was a 3.1% increase in the rate of hospitalizations from the last week in December to the week of January 27, with respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations accounting for 9.6% of all hospitalizations.
Influenza also continues to rise in pediatric populations, while RSV finally wanes
Among children aged 0–4 years, hospitalizations associated with respiratory viruses decreased by 27.6% between the end of December and the week ending January 27, 2025.
Influenza-related hospitalizations rose the most (+91.2%), making up 1.4% of all hospitalizations for kids aged 4 and younger. The current rate of influenza-related hospitalizations is two times higher than the peak of last season for the pediatric age group.
Rhinovirus-related hospitalizations also increased by 53.7%.
All other respiratory virus-related hospitalizations decreased, with RSV seeing the sharpest decline (-69.8%).
By late January, 5.3% of all hospitalizations for children under age 5 were associated with a respiratory virus.
Influenza-related hospitalizations continue to increase in adults over the age of 65
Among adults aged 65 and older, hospitalizations related to respiratory viruses rose slightly (+0.4%) through the end of January. By late January, respiratory virus-related hospitalizations made up 11.9% of all hospitalizations in this age group (up from 11.2% in December).
Influenza-related hospitalizations saw the most dramatic increase (+57.1%), accounting for 8.4% of all hospitalizations in this age group. The current rate of influenza-related hospitalizations is two times higher than the peak of last season.
All other respiratory virus-related hospitalizations declined for this population – RSV (-46.1%), COVID (-34.1%), rhinovirus (-51.8%), HMPV (-28.9%), and parainfluenza (-54.5%).
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).
