CDC asking public to test early as hospitalizations rise for respiratory viruses

ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
·2 min read

‘Tis the season for all the respiratory viruses that can ruin your holiday.

New data from the CDC shows a troubling jump in the number of patients with COVID, flu and RSV needing to be hospitalized.

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As we spend more time indoors, cases of COVID, flu and RSV are rising.

“Indoor environments, particularly in the winter, tend to be a little bit lower humidity, and that’s been shown to help transmit some respiratory viruses. That’s really thought to be the main trigger for the cases that are increasing,” said Dr. Andrew Pekosz.

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Dr. Pekosz is a virologist at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Data shows that over the past few weeks, hospitalizations rose 200% for flu, 51% for COVID and 60% for RSV.

“While we’re seeing increases in influenza in particular at this time of year, they’re not as severe as they were last year,” Pekosz explained. “When we dig down deep at the viruses that are circulating right now, they all seem to be pretty good matches for the viruses that are in the vaccine.”

But vaccination rates are lagging. The CDC issues an advisory that low vaccination rates against flu, COVID and RSV with increasing cases could lead to more severe disease and strain on the health care system.

Read: ‘Forget it:’ Hours-long backup on I-95 in St. Johns County causes major holiday headache

Pekosz said testing is also critical and needs to be done early after symptoms.

“We have to deal with these respiratory infections every year. We shouldn’t ignore them, but we have a lot of tools to be better prepared to deal with them, whether they be vaccines ahead of time, the extended testing that we can do right now for viruses and the availability of antivirals,” Pekosz said.

He said using these tools can minimize the impact of these infections and keep more people safe.

Antivirals for COVID and flu must be taken as soon as symptoms begin, which is why it’s critical to test early.

Read: A kidney for Christmas: Jacksonville toddler wishing for life saving transplant this holiday season

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