Tracking Potential COVID-19 Outbreaks With Influenza-Like Symptoms Urgent Care Visits.

* Abbreviations: CDC — : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 ICD-10 — : International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision ILI — : influenzalike illness LOINC — : Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes SARS-CoV-2 — : severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 The 2019–2020 influenza season has had elevated influenza-confirmed hospitalization rates.1 Simultaneously, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions worldwide.2 There are open questions about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related to its prevalence3 and seasonality.4 Many individuals who develop COVID-19 present with influenzalike illness (ILI) symptoms, including fever, cough, or sore throat.5 This symptom overlap makes it difficult to differentiate COVID-19 from influenza or other related illnesses without testing, which has limited availability in the United States.6 Understanding the degree to which ILI in a community is not due to influenza could help clinicians estimate the risk of COVID-19. The proportion of local current cases of ILI that are influenza-negative could inform clinical care and provide epidemiological insight … Address correspondence to Brian Muchmore, BS, Data Intelligence Division, CodoniX, Inc, 390 Colchester Ave, Burlington, VT 05401. E-mail: brian.muchmore{at}med.uvm.edu