CDC Respiratory Virus Updates
CDC is posting updates on the respiratory illness season here every week.
September 15, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
What CDC knows
It is unclear how easily BA.2.86 spreads compared to other circulating variants. At this time, BA.2.86 does not appear to be rapidly increasing or driving increases in infections or hospitalizations in the United States.
What CDC is doing
CDC will continue monitoring BA.2.86 and other circulating variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Moving forward, we will share updates on BA.2.86 when significant additional information becomes available.
Keep reading: Sept 15 Update on COVID-19 Variant
September 14, 2023, 11:30 AM EDT
What CDC knows
Analysis from CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics shows that with the addition of a third virus (COVID-19) that can cause severe illness, even an average respiratory season can place significant strain on our healthcare system.
What CDC is doing
CDC recommends staying up to date on the vaccines recommended for you as an important strategy to prevent severe disease and protect yourself and others around you. Higher levels of vaccination across the population will also help reduce the number of hospitalizations and risk of hospital strain.
Keep reading: Respiratory Disease Season Outlook
September 12, 2023, 9:00 PM EDT
What CDC knows
COVID-19 continues to be a major cause of serious respiratory illnesses in the United States, with more than 200,000 deaths (including more than 600 in children and adolescents 0-19 years old) reported since January 2022. Vaccination is the most effective tool to protect yourself from severe illness this fall and winter.
What CDC is doing
CDC recommended a COVID-19 vaccine updated for 2023-2024 for everyone aged 6 months and older to protect against serious illness.
Keep reading: Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations Now Available
September 8, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT
What CDC knows
The U.S. 2023-2024 flu vaccines have a similar vaccine virus composition as the 2023 Southern Hemisphere flu vaccines.
What CDC is doing
A new CDC study found that people who had received a flu vaccine were half as likely to be hospitalized with flu compared to people who had not been vaccinated.
Keep reading: Flu in the Southern Hemisphere
September 8, 2023, 11:30 AM EDT
What CDC knows
Early research data from multiple labs are reassuring and show that existing antibodies work against the new BA.2.86 variant
What CDC is doing
Real-world data are needed to fully understand the impact given the complexities of the immune response to this variant. Studies are ongoing, and we expect to learn more in upcoming weeks.
Keep reading: Sept 8 Update on COVID-19 Variant
August 30, 2023, 3:30 PM EDT
What CDC knows
At this time, we don’t know how well this variant spreads, but we know that it spreads in the same way as other variants. Take preventative actions to protect yourself and others from infection.
What CDC is doing
CDC is tracking a new SARS-CoV-2 variant called BA.2.86 and working to better understand its potential impact on public health.
Keep reading: Update on COVID-19 Variant
August 23, 2023, 10:10 AM EDT
What CDC knows
A new variant of SARS-CoV-2 called BA.2.86 was detected in Denmark and Israel. This variant is notable because of a large number of genetic differences from previous versions of SARS-CoV-2.
What CDC is doing
Based on what CDC knows now, we’ve prepared a scientific assessment of the risk profile posed by BA.2.86.
Keep reading: COVID-19 Variant