CDC: Virginia's COVID levels are "very high"
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Virginia is still seeing high levels of COVID-19 post-holiday travel season.
- That's according to wastewater surveillance data, which — you guessed it — tracks the virus through your poop and can flag infections in people who might not have known they had it.
Why it matters: If you're in a crowded room, there's a good chance someone in it has COVID. Or the flu.
- Yes, the virus is circulating alongside high levels of influenza, especially among young children, in Virginia, according to the latest CDC data released Friday.
- Meanwhile, the fast-spreading COVID variant called JN.1 is accounting for almost 60% of state cases.
The big picture: Virginia health officials say both COVID and the flu "may have stabilized" since a recent spike in December, but a "slight" increase to hospitalizations could be ahead this month.
- COVID cases could increase locally, too, as kids have returned to school, said Richmond and Henrico Health districts director Elaine Perry to VPM.
Zoom in: Only 11% of residents are up to date on their COVID vaccinations and an infection, even if vaccinated, poses the risk of long COVID — which has left some people out of work for months due to lingering symptoms.
- Getting sick is also a potentially fatal threat to older people and immunocompromised groups.
By the numbers: More than 7,000 Virginians had COVID between Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
- That's a drop from the first week of the year when the number was 8,354.
- New hospital admissions are 20.4 percentage points lower than last week but remain higher than most of the past six months, per VDH data.
- The percentage of beds occupied by COVID patients (5%) is also the highest it's been since August.
Worth noting: The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency last May cut off a pipeline of data that tracked the virus spread, making it increasingly difficult to compare new outbreaks to past surges.
Be smart: If you're six months or older, you're eligible for the updated 2023-2024 vaccine, which is recommended by the CDC to protect against serious illness.
- Every household is also eligible to receive eight free at-home COVID tests from the federal government.