The winter #COVID wave is here in New York! #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. Deaths in December were up slightly - 21 deaths in 30 days vs. 18 around November.

It's not yet at the threshold I set for going into Outbreak Mode, and since it's freezing weather, I'm going to eat in restaurants if they aren't too crowded.

But I'm not going to go to an in-person karaoke event on Saturday, and I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices and supermarkets!
#CovidIsNotOver

#flu cases have continued to rise in #NYC, approaching last year's peak. #RSV cases continue to decline from the peak in December. The percentage of hospital visits for Influenza-Like Illness was steady last week.

Here's hoping we'll see the peak of the #influenza and #COVID waves! Frustratingly, mpox is on a completely separate page, and there do not appear to be pages with live data for norovirus or pneumonia.

No in-person karaoke until these waves are over, and I #WearAMask on the train!

#COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in #NYC, reaching 30 cases and 1.8 hospitalizations per lakh population.

I've added CDC RESP-NET data to the dashboard, and will try to put in a graph. Hopefully RFK Jr. won't shut it down right away. It shows that #COVID19 hospitalizations are worse nationwide, but the real problem is flu!

#CovidIsNotOver so no in-person karaoke for a while, and as long as people are dying I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices and supermarkets!

Things may get a lot worse in all kinds of ways, but I wanted to complete this piece of my infectious disease dashboard, which presents CDC RESP-NET data.

#CovidIsNotOver but it looks like the big respiratory disease threat in the United States the past couple weeks is #flu, which had risen to 9.6 hospitalizations per lakh population as of January 4. More than #COVID and #RSV combined.

#COVID19 hospitalizations are currently half what they were in January 2024, and a third the rate in 2023.

Frustrating that the winter #COVID wave in #NYC seems to be lingering. I'm glad #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations are not rising as fast as they were after Christmas and Hanukah, but 25 people hospitalized is too many!

There have been more deaths in the past 30 days (33) than in December.

It seems that the flu is doing more damage this year. We'll see what tomorrow's flu report says.

#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#Flu cases in #NYC and nationwide appear to have peaked in early January! Let's hope #influenza drops quickly like in 2022-2023, not slowly like last year.

The CDC has not yet shut down RESP-NET; let's hope it hangs on as long as possible!

#RSV is continuing to drop as well, far below the December peak.

At this rate it may be safe to sing karaoke in February!

But as long as people are dying I #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators; #MaskUp in doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising slower in #NYC but they're still continuing to rise as of January 27. We saw 24 #COVID19 deaths in December, but December 22-January 20 saw 44 deaths!

Here's hoping that both the COVID and flu waves will end quckly, unlike last winter when they extended into April!

I still #WearAMask in confined spaces like elevators, trains and buses, #MaskUp in hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets, where there are vulnerable people!

Oh fuck. #Flu cases and emergency room visits have continued to rise in #NYC, the highest #influenza rates since Fall 2019, maybe longer. At least the #RSV wave is over. Hoping COVID hospitalizations drop, or at least stay steady!

I was in the ER with a family member Wednesday night, and I heard a little sniffling and sneezing. I wore my KN95, and the doctors were pretty good with baggy masks, but I couldn't convince my loved one to put a mask on. At least the ventilation seemed to be good!

Ugh, #COVID cases and hospitalizations in #NYC continue to rise, slower than in January, but still rising steadily. There were 50 deaths from #COVID19 in January, more than twice as many deaths as in December!

My 86-year-old mom is currently suffering from some upper respiratory ailment. COVID and flu PCR tests were negative at the hospital last week, but a subsequent infection could be contributing to this.

As usual, I #WearAMask in doctors' offices, hospitals, trains, elevators and stores!

I've written before in frustration at #NYC's inept reporting of #COVID #wastewater concentrations. They collect the data at least weekly, but the most recent report is from February 2, on coronavirus.health.ny.gov and that is only an embedded Tableau graph.

The numerical #COVID19 data is posted to the NYC Open Data Portal, but the most recent report there is from Dec. 31.

I've discovered the embed on https://contagion.grieve-smith.com/ is pegged to the time I shared it, so I have to update it manually!

Contagion

A dashboard for tracking infectious disease data.

#COVID cases and hospitalizations appear to finally be leveling off in #NYC. Will they start dropping now, or will this be another long wave like last year?

My mom is now home from the hospital, recovering from RSV and pneumonia. Once she's a little stronger, I'd like to take her out to lunch without worrying that she'll catch #COVID19 or the flu!

#CovidIsNotOver so let's #WearAMask in elevators, trains and buses; #MaskUp in doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#influenza cases are dropping in #NYC, and #rsv is now down below 1,000 cases a week. Small comfort if, like me, you've been caring for a loved one who's been in and out of hospitals with the #rsvirus for three weeks!

Still, in combination with the plateau in COVID cases, it should be safer to relax precautions - eating indoors more, singing karaoke, maybe taking a plane trip.

But I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID cases are finally coming down again in #NYC, and hospitalizations and deaths may be peaking. Let's hope this wave will be over relatively quickly, not drawn out like last winter!

#COVID19 hospitalizations are well below 6 per lakh per day, but combined with flu and RSV they are probably above 6. Will it be safe to organize in-person karaoke or eat in restaurants in two weeks?

#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators and buses, and #MaskUp in doctors' offices and supermarkets!

Still getting a bunch of these emails about talks I hadn't planned to go to during flu/COVID/RSV season #CovidIsNotOver

Due to incomplete data, it turns out the #RSV case count in #NYC was NOT below 1,000 in the week ending February 15. But it's again reported below 1,000 for the week ending February 22.

Cases of #RSVirus and the #flu are clearly trending down. Let's hope they keep dropping, and don't get revised up too far!

In combination with the drop in COVID cases, this suggests that overall March will be safer from respiratory infections. It's stil a good idea to #WearAMask in crowded spaces !

The CDC's RESP-NET showed me you can compare the impact of different viruses by calculating hospitalizations per lakh per day. It seems to have so far escaped the predations of Musk and Kennedy, so I've been reluctant to draw too much attention to it!

These screenshots show that 2024-25 has been almost as bad as the previous two years, but this year the #flu has caused most of the hospitalizations, more than twice as many as #COVID and #RSV combined!

https://www.cdc.gov/resp-net/dashboard/

#CovidIsNotOver

Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET)

Learn how to use the RESP-NET interactive dashboard to surveil flu, COVID-19, and RSV.

RESP-NET

Sadly, it looks like #COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths in #NYC are plateauing, or at least coming down slowly.

I'd like to go out and sing karaoke, or take my mom out to lunch, or even eat at one of the local eateries that get crowded, take a vacation flight or cruise. I guess we'll have to see if flu rates come down faster!

#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#covid19 #WearAMask

It looks like as of the week ending March 1, #RSV cases in #NYC have now been below 1,000 for two weeks. The #flu is below 10,000 cases per week, and hospital visits for #InfluenzaLikeIllness are below 8%!

To be safe, I'm going to skip the live band karaoke I was hoping to attend last week, but I will be hosting karaoke over Zoom on Monday!

My mother and I are still recovering from #rsvirus that was diagnosed in early February. Please #WearAMask in hospitals, doctors' offices and trains!

Frustrated to see that #COVID cases, hospitalizations, deaths and wastewater all appear to have plateaued in #NYC !

Fortunately, it's "only" 25-30 people getting hospitalized for #covid19 every day, 2.85 per lakh. Hospitalizations from the flu are much higher, so I'm hoping tomorrow's flu and RSV numbers will show a continued drop there. If not, I'm moving next week's karaoke online!

#COVIDIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

Also frustrated that the #NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene still isn't releasing accurate hospitalization counts for #flu and #RSV, but it looks like the case counts are finally down to relatively low levels - below 8,000 for #influenza and below 700 for #rsvirus!

I think I finally feel comfortable hosting karaoke in person next week, for the first time this year!

But as long as there are lots of people suffering and dying, I still #WearAMask in trains, buses and doctors' offices!

Ugh, #COVID cases and hospitalizations are going UP again in #NYC?

I think it was probably the right call to host karaoke in person last night since flu and RSV cases have been dropping steadily, but I really do not want to see a Spring #COVID19 wave!

Since #COVIDIsNotOver I still #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

Yesterday before karaoke I took my mom to the doctor and we wore KN95s. I made sure to #MaskUp on the train home from karaoke!

Yup, looks like we really are having a Spring #COVID wave in #NYC!

At least #COVID19 hospitalizations are still well below 6 per lakh per day. If they don't rise much further, and flu and RSV cases continue to drop, the total hospitalizations should stay under 6 per day, which is my threshold for going into Outbreak Mode.

#CovidIsNotOver and #COVIDisAirborne so I still #WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains and buses. #MaskUp in doctors' offices, pharmacies and grocery stores!

COVID numbers are going up, but #flu and #RSV cases continue to drop in #NYC. We still don't have accurate hospitalization numbers for #influenza and #RSVirus here, but it looks like the overall risk of hospitalization and death from acute airborne infectious diseases is dropping.

I'm going to plan for indoor dining and singing, and maybe travel, but as long as this many people are dying and being hospitalized I'll #WearAMask in elevators, trains, doctor's offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID cases and hospitalizations seem to have plateaued again in #NYC. I'm still worried they'll rise again, but in the meantime, #COVID19 hospitalizations are under 4 per lakh per day, and flu and RSV cases have continued to drop.

I've spent time eating and working in indoor public spaces this week, but #COVIDIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people like doctors' offices, pharmacies and grocery stores!

I wish I could say that #flu and #RSV cases were going down faster in #NYC, but I'm glad to see that they're still going down. No sign of an out-of-season wave or a shallow trough!

Let's hope that COVID rates will also go down, and we'll have a nice quiet, safe spring and summer for infectious disease transmission!

#COVID cases and hospitalizations appear to be dropping in #NYC after a relatively small spring wave, while #flu and #RSV cases continue to drop!

Let's hope we'll get down to relatively low baselines on all three until the next wave. Do we dare to hope that we won't see a summer #COVID19 wave?

I'm back to in-person karaoke now, but until the combined hospitalizations are at truly negligeable rates, like below one per day, I'll continue to #WearAMask in elevators, trains and doctors' offices!

#Flu and #RSV seasons seem to be basically over in #NYC, and the current #COVID wave is abating! COVID death rates will hopefully be lower next month.

I'm switching to monitoring case and wastewater increases now, hoping if we have a summer #COVID19 wave it'll be small and short!

#COVIDIsNotOver as long as people are dying and going to the hospital for this disease, so I'll continue to #WearAMask in elevators, trains and buses. #MaskUp in doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID, #flu and #RSV cases and hospitalizations continue to decline in #NYC. 53 dead from #COVID19 between March 23 and April 21.

I'm out of Outbreak Mode - I like eating and working outdoors, but I'll spend time in indoor public spaces if necessary.

#CovidIsNotOver as long as people are being hospitalized for it, so I'll continue to #WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID #flu and #RSV cases, hospitalizations and deaths all continue to decline in #NYC! 52 dead from #COVID19 between March 30 and April 28.

I'm out of Outbreak mode, so I'm singing karaoke, eating indoors and keeping my eye out for a summer wave.

#CovidIsNotOver and as long as people are being hospitalized for it I'll continue to #WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID, #flu and #RSV cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline in #NYC. Still 51 dead between April 6 and May 5.

The winter waves are almost over, and no sign of a late-spring or summer #COVID19 wave yet. I'm out of outbreak mode!

#CovidIsNotOver and as long as people are being hospitalized for it I'll continue to #WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

As of May 17, #Flu and #RSV season is officially over in #NYC, although it seems like a bad idea to rule out a summer outbreak.

#CovidIsNotOver but #COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop, with no sign of a new #COVID19 wave!

I sang karaoke in person on Wednesday, but #CovidIsNotOver so I still WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains, planes and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies, hospitals and supermarkets!

No more flu or RSV data since the season is officially over, but #COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline in #NYC. Across the #usa RESP-Net tells the same story.

I'm glad my mom is spending three weeks in a nursing home now, rather than in February!

#CovidIsNotOver and I'm keeping an eye out for a summer #COVID19 wave, but now I'm out of outbreak mode: sing karaoke but #WearAMask in elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp in doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

I'm glad that #COVID deaths are continuing to trend down in #NYC. I'm not glad that we seem to have a floor of about 15 #COVID19 hospitalizations per day, and that cases may be trending up again so soon after we finished the winter wave!

#CovidIsNotOver

Ugh, there's a blip up in #COVID hospitalizations and deaths in #NYC. Can't people please #WearAMask on the subway so we can have more than a few weeks between #COVID19 waves?

#CovidIsNotOver

#COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths are dropping again in #NYC, suggsting that the rise in the previous week was in fact just a blip!

I sing karaoke and then #WearAMask on the subway home, because #CovidIsNotOver and it's a lot easier to avoid going into a karaoke bar - I did it for three years!

My mother is still suffering from some kind of respiratory infection. She tested negative (PCR) for #COVID19 and flu on Sunday. I wish the staff in her nursing home took better precautions!

A lot of us in #NYC have spent time indoors to escape the heat wave, but so far there's no sign of a summer #COVID wave! Deaths continue to drop, with 20 reported over the most recent 30 days.

Sadly, #CovidIsNotOver and it looks like #COVID19 hospitalizations may bottom out at 13-15 per day, which is not great!

I still #WearAMask in crowded places like elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies, hospitals and supermarkets!

Another blip in #COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths here in #NYC, but on average we seem to be plateauing around 220 cases and 15 hospitalizations per day, 20 #COVID19 hospitalizations per month. This is roughly what we had in the winter trough.

#CovidIsNotOver and it's hot out, so a lot of us are spending time in air conditioning. We need to #WearAMask in elevators, subways, doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets, and keep an eye out for signs of a summer wave!

Looks like #COVID cases and hospitalizations have dropped again after last week's blip, to 1.0 hospitalizations per lakh per day, maybe lower, and #COVID19 deaths continue to drop, to 19 in the 30 days of June.

I am out of #OutbreakMode so I am singing karaoke and eating in restaurants, but #CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, taxis, doctors' offices, pharmacies, hospitals and nursing homes!

There's another blip up in #COVID cases in #NYC. Is it a sign of a summer wave? We'll have to keep monitoring. #COVID19 hospitalizations are steady at about 12 per day, and deaths at about 20 per month.

This week I went to my first in person all-day conference since 2020. I had to miss in-person karaoke, but I'm planning to go by next weekend at least.

I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, taxis, supermarkets, doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and nursing homes!

#COVID cases and hospitalizations haven't continued to rise in #NYC after last week's blip, but they haven't gone down either. About 212 #COVID19 cases and 14 hospitalizations per day, and 20 deaths per month, citywide.

I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, taxis, supermarkets, doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and nursing homes. CO2 levels are lower in #Amtrak cafe cars, so it's frustrating that they've eliminated cafe cars for several Albany-NYC and NYC-Harrisburg runs!

This week in #NYC #COVID deaths are down to 17 in 30 days, but #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations HAVE continued to rise. About 253 cases and 15 hospitalizations per month, citywide.

These past few months I've really enjoyed karaoke, traveling, eating indoors, going to seminars, and other activities that can spread airborne infectious diseases. Not happy that I might have to stop those things in order to keep others safe.

#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in trains and doctors' offices!

#COVID deaths are steady at 17 per 30 days in #NYC, but #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. They are nowhere near the threshold for Outbreak Mode (I'm using 6 hospitalizations per lakh), but it's important to keep in mind that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene doesn't report on flu or RSV in the summer.

#CovidIsNotOver so I'll continue to monitor these indicators. And I still #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices, nursing homes and pharmacies!

#COVID deaths are down slightly in #NYC, at 15 citywide per 30 days, but #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations are still rising. There's a slight dropoff in this week's data, but right now we don't know if that's a data delay, or if this recent rise was just a blip.

Again, nowhere near the threshold for Outbreak Mode, and we're two months away from getting data about flu and RSV, but #CovidIsNotOver so let's continue to #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices and nursing homes!

#COVID cases and hospitalizations in #NYC have stopped rising, but remain higher than in July and late June. We had another day with three deaths, so that brought the 30-day death toll back to 18.

Still not high enough for me to go into Outbreak Mode, and I sang karaoke last night. Let's hope that with the cooler weather, people will spend more time outside and open windows more!

#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices, hospitals and nursing homes!

We're definitely having a late-summer #COVID wave in #NYC! #COVID19 cases are as high as 32 per lakh per day, and hospitalizations at 1.7 per lakh per day. Deaths are still 19 total citywide per month.

I've been working with a threshold of 60 cases or 6 hospitalizations per lakh per month for all airborne infectious diseases. Epidemiologists still think flu and RSV are seasonal, so we won't have total rates for another six weeks.

#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in trains and buses!

The late-summer #COVID wave continues to slowly rise in #NYC! 28 #COVID19 cases and 1.8 hospitalizations per lakh per day. 23 deaths in the month of August.

The levels are still nowhere near the threshold of 60 cases I set for going into Outbreak Mode. I find it hard to believe there's no flu or RSV, but I guess we'll have to wait until mid-October to find out!

#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains and buses, #MaskUp in nursing homes, supermarkets and doctors' offices!

#COVID cases continue to rise in #NYC, to 33 per lakh per day, while hospitalizations are fluctuating around 1.6. September 4 was our first day since May with more than three #COVID19 deaths.

Even if COVID alone doesn't reach the threshold of 60 cases I set for Outbreak mode, once flu and RSV season starts the combined total may be that high.

I'm going to an in-person singing lesson, but #CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, pharmacies, nursing homes and supermarkets!

The #NYC fall #COVID wave is rising slowly, now up to 35 #COVID19 cases and 1.7 hospitalizations per lakh per day. Deaths also inched up, from 23 to 24 in the past 30 days.

We should be getting the first report on flu and RSV on October 24; when we started last year the RSV wave was already underway.

#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in crowded spaces like elevators, trains and buses, and #MaskUp where there are vulnerable people: nursing homes, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID cases continue to climb slowly in #NYC, now up to 36 per lakh per day. #COVID19 hospitalizations are at 1.9 per lakh, and deaths are steady at 24 in the past 30 days.

Here's hoping this is the peak. If it is, I'm going to hold off for a few weeks to #GetBoosted. My doctor gave me the #flu shot today, but isn't doing COVID shots.

#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in elevators, trains, planes and buses, and #MaskUp in doctors' offices, nursing homes, pharmacies and supermarkets!

#COVID case counts have dropped in #NYC: from 428 per lakh per day the week ending September 15 to 398 the week ending September 22! #COVID19 hospitalizations have also dropped from 23 to 21. Deaths in the most recent 30-day "complete" period have dropped from 24 to 18.

This could be incomplete data even though it says "complete"! But it's the first time that all three indicators have dropped in this wave.

#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in trains, doctors' offices and supermarkets!

And yes, I see there's a bug in my code: 57 days hath September not! Hopefully I'll get a chance to fix it before next week...

The early fall #COVID wave in #NYC seems to be ending! #COVID19 cases were down to 311 per lakh per day as of September 29, hospitalizations were at 20, and deaths at 20 in the most recent 30 days with complete data.

I'm relieved, since I have a few in-person karaoke events coming up.

Of course #CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in confined spaces like elevators, trains, buses and planes; #MaskUp in places with vulnerable people like doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets!

As the early fall #COVID wave in #NYC continues to recede, cases have dropped to 232 per lakh per day and hospitalizations to 17. Deaths are a lagging indicator, so we're up to 26 deaths in the most recent 30 days with complete data.

I'm home trying to get through some kind of sinus infection - two negative #COVID19 rapid tests, two days apart.

#CovidIsNotOver and I don't want to give this respiratory infection to anyone so I asked someone else to host the in-person karaoke meetup!

Happy #FluSeason! I just went to check the #NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's PDFs and was redirected to a new website combining #influenza #RSV and #COVID data with dynamic charts, based on data that's also regularly uploaded to GitHub!

There was a #flu spike in September.

Last year I asked for them to make the raw data available and was told to put in a FOIL request. I'm glad they implemented my request, and look forward to using the data in my dashboard!

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/respiratory-illness-data/

The new #NYC Respiratory Illness Data dashboard is great for an overview. It suggests that just as our #COVID wave is subsiding we're getting a #flu wave and maybe an #RSV wave.

My dashboard doesn't seem to be updating, which suggests they may have moved all the COVID data to GitHub.

I'm now 10 days into my current sinus infection - #COVID19 rapid tests negative - and feeling better, but not 100%.

#CovidIsNotOver and I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices and supermarkets!

The new #NYC Dashboard is showing that #COVID emergency room visits have continued to drop in the week ending October 25, while #flu increased and #RSV stayed the same.

I love how they combine all three and show directionality. But what's missing is the relative context and thresholds: Are #influenza visits getting high enough to worry about? Are #COVID19 visits low enough we can stop worrying about them?

This is what I tried to address with my posts upthread. Stay tuned!

#CovidIsNotOver

The #flu headline in today's dashboard looks scary: 83% increase! But hang on...

The chart shows that #influenza visits to hospital emergency rooms have risen to 0.22%. That means for every 100,000 people who go to the ER, 99,978 don't test positive for the flu.

The fall #COVID wave is over, but #COVIDIsNotOver and the #COVID19 hospitalizations are slightly lower than flu - 0.18%.

The page reports other respiratory viruses, great reasons to #MaskUp especially in hospitals, buses and trains!

Finally getting a chance to look into the new #COVID #flu and #RSV open data from the New York City Health Department, and there are some things that concern me.

The biggest thing is that while we have raw counts of cases and deaths, they only give emergency room data as the percentage of hospitalizations and visits with a respiratory disease diagnosis.

I set my thresholds at hospitalizations per lakh population, and I can't calculate that any more.

https://github.com/nychealth/respiratory-illness-data/blob/main/data/emergencyDeptData.csv

#COVIDIsNotOver

I settled on 6 hospitalizations per lakh population per day as my threshold for coming out of Outbreak Mode by looking at previous #COVID19 and #influenza outbreaks. I have only a vague idea what's a safe percentage of hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases.

The #NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is leaving up the historical #COVID data, but not providing historical data for these new measures, so we can't correlate them with previous outbreaks…

https://grieve-smith.com/ftn/2024/05/how-do-we-know-its-safe/

How do we know it's safe?

I shouldn't be writing this. I have no training in medicine or epidemiology. I'm just some random person. And if you have something from a better trained source that tells you how to manage your exposure to airborne infectious diseases like COVID, the flu or RSV in order to avoid passing it on to

Commentary by A. Grieve-Smith

The #NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's new Respiratory Disease portal is a big improvement over the old flu and RSV weekly static PDF files, combined with #COVID data. And it makes sense to put them all in a new repo with a new format.

But when they rolled out the new repo, they stopped uploading #COVID19 data to the old repo, and didn't generate new flu or RSV PDFs. So the site I built last year is not updating at all.

But today I got it to display some data from the new repo!

I have now replaced the charts based on stale #NYC and CDC #COVID data with new charts based on the weekly #COVID19 case and death data, and case counts for #flu and #RSV, provided by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene!

The fall COVID wave is definitely over, but it looks like the #influenza and #RSVirus waves are hitting at the same time this year; last year the flu wave was a month after RSV.

#COVIDIsNotOver so #WearAMask in trains and doctors' offices!

https://contagion.grieve-smith.com/

#COVID cases and deaths continue to drop in #NYC the week ending December 6, but #flu and #RSV cases continue to rise.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene doesn't publish absolute numbers of hospitalizations for #influenza and the #RSVirus, only the percentage of emergency room visits. That doesn't really help me decide whether to host in-person karaoke!

#COVIDIsNotOver and the #FluIsAirborne #RSVIsAirborne so I #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, doctors' offices, and markets!

There's a tiny uptick in #COVID cases in #NYC, but #COVID19 deaths are down to 20 in the month of November! As far as I'm concerned, #COVIDIsNotOver until we go at least a month with no deaths, but this year has been encouraging!

But it's #FluSeason and #flu cases have already passed last year's peak. The #RSV wave seems to be tapering off, or at least rising more slowly.

I hosted in-person karaoke this week, but I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, doctors' offices and supermarkets!