Norovirus Seems to Have Taken a Break During the Pandemic. Unfortunately, Break’s Over

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that cases of norovirus are showing a dramatic resurgence after relatively low incidence in recent years, coinciding with the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since August 2021, the CDC reported 448 outbreaks of norovirus, compared with 78 over the same period for the previous year. According to a report by NBC News, the timing was suspicious enough for health officials to look at whether the cases could be linked to the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. While no evidence of that has surfaced, suspicions remain as to whether lifting masking and social distancing advisories is contributing to the outbreaks.