The first look at trends following most of the winter holidays shows that seasonal virus activity remains elevated and continues to rise across the United States, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As infections and hospitalizations mount, the CDC continues to emphasize the importance of vaccination — and the value of treatment to avoid severe disease.

Overall, flu-like activity is high or very high in all but a dozen states. Multiple indicators, including test positivity, emergency department visits and hospitalizations, are elevated for respiratory viruses including Covid-19, flu and RSV.

RSV activity has shown signs of slowing in some parts of the county, particularly in the South, but Covid-19 and flu activity is increasing in most of the country. Covid-19 viral activity in wastewater is highest in the Midwest, and nationwide, it’s higher than it has been for most of the pandemic.