The U.S. is seeing a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday—an expected but concerning development, with hospital capacity already stretched thin by epidemic levels of the flu and RSV.
“The rise is especially worrisome as we move into winter months, when people are assembling indoors with less ventilation,” Walensky said on a call with journalists. It’s more concerning, she added, given upcoming holiday family gatherings involving the elderly, who are at higher risk for severe outcomes from all respiratory illnesses circulating at high levels this fall.
