(See this previous blog about pediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vs. Covid-19 in Rhode Island.)
RSV vs. Covid-19 hospitalization rates (per 100,000) as determined by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance networks, RSV-NET and COVIDNet.
It is important to note that all pediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) hospitalizations are based upon a clinical respiratory illness presentation, confirmed by a positive RSV laboratory test. Pediatric “covid-19 hospitalizations” reflect any SAR-CoV-2 positive admissions, including those without a clinical respiratory illness presentation. Hence RSV admissions are underestimated, while covid-19 admissions are overestimated.
With these caveats in mind, the current CDC-determined pediatric RSV hospitalization rate of 19.8/100,000 exceeds by 63% the peak pandemic covid-19 pediatric hospitalization rate (i.e., “with” covid-19) during week 1 of 2022, of 12.2/100,000.
