- Between the last week of October and the last week of November, there was a 58.8% increase in respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations.
- For infants and children under the age of 5, respiratory viruses are now associated with 7.9% of hospitalizations in this population – an increase of 65.2% from last month. Most notably, RSV-associated hospitalization have more than doubled for the second month in a row and now account for 5.1% of all hospitalizations in this group. COVID-associated hospitalizations have also nearly doubled since last month (up to 2.1% of hospitalizations compared to 1.1%).
- For adults aged 65 and older, respiratory viruses are now associated with 3.1% of hospitalizations in this population – an increase of 57.2% from last month. Influenza- (+267,6%), RSV- (+297.8%), and rhinovirus- (+65.9%) associated hospitalizations experienced the greatest percent increases over the last month. COVID remained stable at 1.2% of hospitalizations in this population.
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 November 3, 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).
Key findings: Trends in respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations
Using a subset of Truveta Data, we identified 743,860 hospitalizations of 684,266 unique patients who tested positive for a respiratory virus between October 01, 2019, and December 1, 2024.
Overall hospitalization rates increasing, with RSV, influenza, and HMPV on the rise
The overall rate of respiratory virus-associated hospitalizations increased throughout November 2024. There was a 58.8% increase in the rate of hospitalizations from the last week in October to the last week of November, with influenza (+271.7%), RSV (+217.4%), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) (+172.7%) accounting for the largest increases. COVID-associated hospitalization rates remained relatively stable.
RSV, COVID, and HMPV on the rise in pediatric populations
Among children aged 0–4 years, hospitalizations associated with to respiratory viruses increased by 65.2% between October 28 and November 25, 2024. By late November, respiratory viruses accounted for 7.9% of all hospitalizations in this age group.
RSV-associated hospitalizations more than doubled in the last month (+123.5%) and are now comprising 5.1% of all hospitalizations in this age group.
COVID-related hospitalizations also nearly doubled (+94.1%). While hospitalizations associated with HMPV and influenza saw a dramatic rise of +338.9% and +192.1%, respectively, though they remain a small proportion of the total hospitalized population.
In contrast, hospitalizations associated with parainfluenza and rhinovirus grew more moderately (+41.1% and +8.7%., respectively).
RSV, influenza, and HMPV increasing in adults over the age of 65
Among adults aged 65 and older, hospitalizations related to respiratory viruses rose by 57.2% throughout November. By late November, respiratory virus-related hospitalizations made up 3.1% of all hospitalizations in this age group, with COVID and rhinovirus contributing 1.2% and 0.9%, respectively.
RSV-related hospitalizations saw the most significant increase (+297.8%), although they still account for a small proportion of the overall hospitalized population.
Influenza-associated hospitalizations also experienced a substantial rise (+267.6%), followed by HMPV-related hospitalizations (+196.9%).
Parainfluenza and rhinovirus hospitalizations increased more modestly (+56.0% and +65.9%, respectively).
Meanwhile, COVID-related hospitalizations remained stable.
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