COVID-19 is Receding this Summer, But Now Cases of RSV are Rising

• As COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, respiratory syncytial virus and other seasonal viruses are returning.
• Virus levels in the country dropped in March and April 2020 toward the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained low until March of this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• The virus starts as an upper respiratory infection, similar to a cold, but problems can arise if the virus moves down into the lower respiratory tract.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is on the rise in parts of the southern United States — with the increase coming in between the virus’ usual fall/winter seasons.

Virus levels in the country dropped in March and April 2020, which was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and remained low until March of this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.

The recent rise in RSV cases is so pronounced that the CDC issued a health advisory on June 10.

The alert encourages health professionals to test patients with acute respiratory symptoms for RSV if they test negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

While RSV can affect people of all ages, young children and older adults have a greater risk of severe illness.