Another four deaths from laboratory-confirmed influenza are recorded in the latest report of the EODY on respiratory diseases, bringing the total to 49 since the beginning of the seasonal epidemic.
The period covered by the report, February 12-18, also saw 21 deaths from Covid-19, down from the previous seven days.
In that period, 300 people had to be admitted to hospital due to the coronavirus, a number reduced by 47% compared to the previous four weeks.
However, there has been an increase in the percentage of samples that come out positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which mainly threatens infants and the elderly.
The viral load of SARS-CoV-2 decreased in all 9 cities under consideration, according to the table below.
EODY
Summary of the findings of the report:
Influenza-like illness – ILI (regardless of pathogen)
✓ The number of influenza cases per 1,000 visits showed a slight increase compared to the previous week.
Severe Acute Respiratory Infection – SARI (regardless of pathogen)
✓ The number of SARI cases per 1,000 visits showed a slight decrease compared to the previous week.
SARS-CoV2 virus – COVID-19 infection
✓ The positivity in all tested samples showed a decrease compared to the previous week.
✓ The number of admissions (n=300) showed a decrease of 47% compared to the average weekly number of admissions in the previous 4 weeks (n=568) and was lower than the number of admissions in the corresponding week of 2023 (n=951)
✓ The number of new intubations (n=5) showed a decrease compared to the average weekly number of new intubations in the previous 4 weeks (n=13) and was lower than the number of intubations in the corresponding week of 2023 (n=21) .
✓ The number of patients with COVID-19 infection who are hospitalized with intubation is 33.
✓ 21 deaths were recorded with a median age of 81 years (range 60-98 years). The number of deaths showed a decrease compared to the average weekly number of deaths in the previous 4 weeks (n=59) and was lower than the number of deaths in the corresponding week in 2023 (n=101).
✓ In week 02, the most frequent sub-variant of BA.2 was JN.1 (79%) followed by EG.5 (11%).
✓ Surveillance of the viral load in municipal wastewater showed a reduction in the circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all 9 areas tested.
Influenza virus
✓ Influenza positivity in the community (sentinel network) remains above 10% (seasonal threshold for the onset of epidemic influenza activity according to ECDC) and showed a decrease compared to the previous week. The positivity of SARI samples showed a drop compared to the previous week.
✓ 3 new serious cases with hospitalization in ICU were recorded, while 4 new deaths from laboratory confirmed influenza were recorded.
✓ From week 40/2023 to week 07/2024, 121 people with laboratory-confirmed influenza were hospitalized in ICU and 49 deaths from laboratory-confirmed influenza were recorded.
✓ From week 40/2023 to week 07/2024, 458 influenza strains have been typed (derived from community Sentinel samples, from SARI surveillance samples and from hospital samples outside surveillance networks), of which 441 (96%) were type A and 17 (4%) type B.
✓ In total, 417 type A strains have been subtyped in the two Influenza Reference Centers. 387 (93%) belonged to the A(H1)pdm09 subtype and 30 (7%) to the A(H3) subtype.
Respiratory syncytial virus – RSV
✓ RSV positivity showed an increase compared to the previous week, both in the community (PHC Sentinel network) and in hospitals (SARI surveillance network).
Note: data can be modified by incorporating data that is declared retrospectively.
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