It's getting harder and harder to find coverage of COVID, and the systems to track it have largely been shut down.

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A fast-spreading new COVID-19 variant called JN.1 could drive a new wave of disease across the U.S. this holiday season just as other respiratory viruses are cresting, experts say.

https://www.axios.com/2023/12/19/new-covid-variant-holiday-surge-jn1

COVID modeler Jay Weiland estimated on Monday that JN.1 would become the dominant strain within a week and that daily new infections, now around 965,000, aren't close to peaking.

The variant's emergence coincides with a jump in other respiratory viruses. Over four weeks, hospitalizations for influenza and RSV rose 200% and 60%, respectively, while pediatric emergency department visits for pneumonia have been rising since September, per a Dec. 14 CDC alert to providers.

By the numbers: COVID hospitalizations have been ticking up, according to the CDC. The seven-day average from Dec. 3 through Dec. 9 was 3.1% higher than right after Thanksgiving

As of early December, 22 states had "very high" COVID-19 wastewater levels as defined by the CDC, which compares current rates to baseline measurements at sites nationwide.

New York State saw a 118% increase in COVID wastewater detection at 117 sites between Nov. 29 and Dec. 14.

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COVID and flu surge could strain hospitals as JN.1 variant grows, CDC warns

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-variant-jn1-flu-surge-hospitals-cdc-warns/

Hospitals and emergency rooms could be forced to ration care by the end of this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday, saying recent trends in COVID-19 and influenza are now on track to again strain America's health care system. The new COVID variant JN.1 is making up an increasing share of cases, the CDC's tracking shows.

"COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising quickly," the agency said in its weekly update. "Since the summer, public health officials have been tracking a rise in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is caused by COVID-19. Influenza activity is growing in most parts of the country. RSV activity remains high in many areas."



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This is happening around the country - the outdoor dining areas might be converted back to parking spots.

NEWS
Encinitas to decide Wednesday whether to continue allowing outdoor dining areas

https://www.encinitasadvocate.com/news/story/2023-12-19/encinitas-to-decide-whether-to-continue-allowing-outdoor-dining-areas

In its final meeting before the holiday break, the Encinitas City Council will tackle the long-simmering issue of whether the city’s restaurants can keep the temporary, outdoor dining areas they built on public roadways and private parking lots at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Encinitas, along with many other California cities, initially eased its regulations in March 2020 to help struggling restaurants cope with pandemic-related limitations on indoor dining. The city also reworked its alcohol sales restrictions so restaurants could provide beer and wine with takeout orders and delivery meals.

These pandemic-related regulatory changes are set to expire Jan. 1, a new city staff report states. On Wednesday, Dec. 20, the council will consider whether to extend them until July 1, 2026. The council also may provide direction to city staff on whether Encinitas ought to charge restaurants for use of the public roadway areas.