As holiday gatherings finish and travel slows, clinicians in the Philadelphia region reported a notable uptick in influenza, COVID-19 and norovirus infections on Dec. 31, 2025. Local family physician Dr. Delana Wardlaw and Lehigh Valley Health Network infectious‑disease clinicians said the increase follows holiday-related mixing and travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates flu activity is very high in New Jersey, moderate in Pennsylvania and minimal in Delaware. Health providers are urging routine infection control — vaccinations where appropriate, frequent handwashing and testing — to limit further spread.
Key takeaways
- Regional clinicians reported a rise in influenza, COVID-19 and norovirus cases as of Dec. 31, 2025, following holiday gatherings and travel.
- CDC assessment on the same week: flu activity very high in New Jersey, moderate in Pennsylvania and minimal in Delaware.
- Physicians cited unexpected positive influenza tests in patients who would not typically be high risk, indicating wider community transmission.
- Handwashing with soap and water is recommended as the most effective measure against norovirus; alcohol‑based sanitizer is less effective.
- Clinicians say it is not too late to receive flu or COVID‑19 vaccines this season and advise discussing options with a primary care provider.
- Public‑health messaging emphasizes layered prevention: vaccination, hygiene, testing and staying home when ill.
Background
Respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses commonly surge in late fall and winter when people spend more time indoors and travel for holidays. Past seasonal patterns show spikes in influenza and RSV after holiday travel; clinicians say COVID‑19 and norovirus can follow similar transmission dynamics because of closer contacts and shared surfaces. Local health centers and hospital systems routinely monitor syndromic data, lab confirmations and emergency‑department visits to track these seasonal trends.
Public and private stakeholders include primary‑care clinics, hospital networks such as Lehigh Valley Health Network, community health centers and public‑health agencies including the CDC and state departments of health. Vaccination campaigns and community outreach are ongoing, but uptake varies by age group and locality. Norovirus outbreaks — primarily gastrointestinal and highly contagious — require different mitigation (surface cleaning and handwashing) than respiratory pathogens.
Main event
Clinicians in the Philadelphia metro area observed more patients presenting with fever, cough, vomiting and diarrhea during the final days of December. Dr. Delana Wardlaw of Fairhill Community Health Associates said her practice recorded an increase in influenza-positive tests in the days surrounding the holiday period. She noted that some patients who would not normally be expected to test positive for flu were returning positive results.
Dr. David O’Gurek of Lehigh Valley Health Network linked the rise to holiday travel and gatherings, saying that mixing across households and regions typically precedes seasonal surges. Emergency departments and urgent‑care centers reported higher volumes of patients with respiratory and gastrointestinal complaints, though hospitalizations remained lower than peak pandemic waves.
Local public‑health officials point to laboratory surveillance and sentinel clinic reports as evidence of broader community transmission. Testing availability for influenza and SARS‑CoV‑2 remains in clinics and retail testing sites, while norovirus diagnosis is often clinical or based on cluster detection rather than routine lab testing.
Clinicians reiterated prevention basics: vaccination for influenza and COVID‑19, staying home when symptomatic, prompt testing for respiratory pathogens when appropriate, and hand hygiene with soap and water to reduce norovirus spread. They emphasized that alcohol‑based hand rubs are less reliable against norovirus.
Analysis & implications
The simultaneous rise in influenza, COVID‑19 and norovirus complicates outpatient care and public‑health messaging because symptoms overlap and resources such as testing and appointment slots become strained. Even when most cases are managed at home, higher outpatient volume increases pressure on urgent‑care clinics and emergency departments, which can affect care access for other conditions.
Vaccination remains the primary population‑level tool for reducing severe influenza and COVID‑19 outcomes. Clinicians stressed that receiving a flu or updated COVID‑19 vaccine this winter can still lower the risk of severe disease and reduce community transmission. Vaccine effectiveness varies by strain match and time since vaccination, but protection against severe outcomes is meaningful.
Norovirus adds a different challenge: it spreads rapidly in households, schools and congregate settings and is less impacted by alcohol sanitizers. Public spaces and institutions may need intensified surface cleaning and more rigorous sick‑leave practices to prevent outbreaks. Employers and schools should reinforce policies that encourage symptomatic people to stay home until symptom resolution.
Comparison & data
| Jurisdiction | CDC flu activity (week of report) |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | Very high |
| Pennsylvania | Moderate |
| Delaware | Minimal |
These categorical activity levels reflect a combination of laboratory positives, outpatient visits for influenza‑like illness and other surveillance inputs. “Very high” denotes widespread community transmission by CDC criteria; “moderate” and “minimal” indicate progressively lower signals. Local trends can diverge from state‑level summaries, so county and facility surveillance remain important for operational planning.
Reactions & quotes
Clinicians responded publicly and to reporters with brief statements emphasizing prevention and the timing of vaccination.
“This is respiratory season, so not unusual, but we have seen an increased number of flu cases,”
Dr. Delana Wardlaw, Fairhill Community Health Associates
Wardlaw framed the surge as part of expected seasonal patterns but highlighted the practical effect: more symptomatic patients seeking care and higher positivity rates than usual in some clinics.
“Getting a flu vaccine is the single most greatest thing someone can do to prevent illness,”
Dr. David O’Gurek, Lehigh Valley Health Network
O’Gurek emphasized vaccination as the primary preventive measure and noted clinicians were urging patients to consider vaccines even after the holidays.
“Handwashing with soap and water remains the best defense against norovirus; sanitizers are not as effective,”
Local clinic infection‑control guidance (paraphrased)
Clinic guidance highlighted practical differences in preventing respiratory versus gastrointestinal transmission and reinforced nonpharmaceutical measures alongside vaccination.
Unconfirmed
- Direct causation between specific holiday events and the regional rise has not been epidemiologically confirmed; the association is consistent with seasonal mixing but not proven for every cluster.
- Reports of a new flu variant labeled “super K” and its exact role in local case counts require further genetic and epidemiologic confirmation from public‑health laboratories.
Bottom line
The end of the holiday period coincided with a measurable increase in influenza, COVID‑19 and norovirus cases across the Philadelphia region, according to clinicians and CDC activity summaries on Dec. 31, 2025. While most infections remain outpatient, the trend increases demand on clinics and underscores the value of layered prevention: vaccination, testing when symptomatic, handwashing, and staying home when ill.
It is not too late to seek vaccination for influenza or COVID‑19 this season; health professionals recommend discussing timing and eligibility with primary‑care providers. Public‑health authorities will continue to monitor surveillance data and lab confirmations to refine guidance as the season progresses.
Sources
- WPVI‑TV original report (local news)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Flu Surveillance (official public‑health agency)
- Lehigh Valley Health Network (health system official site)