Harrisburg, Pa. (WHTM) – Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health shows that COVID-19, influenza, and RSV are rising throughout the Commonwealth.

Nearly four thousand new flu cases were reported in Pennsylvania this week alone. COVID-19 is also on the rise, but RSV is climbing the fastest.

“It has resulted in a lot of pediatric hospitalizations and pediatric intensive care units,” UPMC Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. John Goldman said.

He and other health experts are concerned that infections will only rise as Christmas approaches, however, he emphasized that there’s still ample time to receive a vaccine.

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“It takes about two weeks to get full immunity, but if you get your RSV, COVID, or flu shot now, you will be near that [for Christmas] and you will be at full immunity by the time you toast the new year,” Goldman said.

The majority of adults and children are eligible to receive their flu and COVID-19 vaccines. The same can’t be said for RSV, as it’s in short supply.

“We’re trying to prioritize our most vulnerable [patients], which are newborns and our premature babies,” Wellspan Health Pediatrician Dr. Vinitha Moopen said.

“But the bottom line is that all three are at fairly high levels,” Goldman added. “The flu, COVID-19, and RSV are still increasing,”

That’s why he’s urging people to protect themselves and others.

“If you infect someone who’s young and healthy, it’s gonna inconvenience them. They might have to take a day or two off work, they might feel miserable,” Goldman said. “But if you infect someone who’s older, has more medical problems, you may have them end up landing in the hospital and you may have them die.”

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