Our masks are off. Now comes fever, sniffles and other bugs

As Floridians whip off their face masks and attend events in person again, all the germs that had been kept at bay by COVID practices are surfacing.

Local health providers say they are seeing patients with summer sniffles, coughs, fevers, respiratory infections and illnesses that until only recently had been reduced to negligible threats.

“There’s a host of viruses out there that we usually only see in cold and flu season,” said Rachel Guran, director of epidemiology and infection prevention at Memorial Healthcare System. “The best we can all do is rely on good hygiene efforts.”

It only took one in-person birthday party for Laura Berger’s children to get sick. Berger, a Weston resident, said her son, 12, and daughter, 8, had not been to a party since the start of the pandemic. About 24 hours after the outdoor event, the sniffles set in. In her son’s case, an earache followed. “I was worried it was COVID, but it was just a cold,” Berger said.

Florida’s influenza surveillance system shows rhinovirus, the predominant cause of the common cold, is becoming more prevalent in the state. So far, the flu season has not kicked in.

Last year, when Floridians wore masks to grocery shop and socially distanced outside their homes, influenza cases plunged and the hospitalization rate during flu season was the lowest reported since 2005. As of mid-June, the percent of emergency department and urgent care center visits with a discharge diagnosis of influenza statewide remained stable.

Still, Florida’s medical providers say some patients already are testing positive for the flu along with RSV (a respiratory virus).

On June 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory to notify doctors and caregivers about an increase in cases of RSV across parts of the southern United States, including Florida. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under a year old, and can affect adults, too. Outbreaks of RSV have been reported in all of Florida’s regions, according to the state Department of Health.

With the increase, the CDC urges broader testing for RSV among patients with respiratory illness who test negative for COVID.

“Cold, RSV, coronavirus, allergies ... they all present similarly,” Guran said “If you don’t’ know which it is, stay home, mask up and get tested.”

Hand washing helps

At the CVS Minute Clinic in Davie, family nurse practitioner Elyse Roelans is seeing patients with a variety of illnesses, some that she hasn’t seen in more than a year. She urges Floridians to keep vigilant about hand washing and using sanitizer.

“I’m seeing a lot of colds and other respiratory illnesses that are not COVID. A cold can come in many shapes or forms and could be a summer cold or the flu. I’ve seen a handful of strep throat cases as well,” Roelans said. She said she tests for COVID regardless of vaccination status. “If it’s negative we see what else is going on.”

While the COVID vaccine helps prevent severe cases of that disease, Floridians — out and about again — remain susceptible to all the other germs that circulate in a destination for international travelers.

Think twice about tossing masks

At Chen Senior Medical Center in North Lauderdale, Dr. Camille McDonald-Toussaint says her senior patients mostly continue to wear face masks and social distance.

With Florida’s senior population 83% vaccinated for COVID, other respiratory diseases will need to be given serious consideration again, she said. She recommends seniors get back on track with their flu, pneumonia and whooping cough vaccines. “We’re making a strong push toward preventative care.” she said.

McDonald-Toussaint says this summer she has treated numerous patients with sinus infections and minor respiratory infections such as bronchitis. Like most of Florida’s medical providers, she worries about what’s lies ahead.

“We’ve seen that masking and distancing works. This flu season, that’s a challenge now that mask mandates have been lifted and people are congregating as this is over,” she said. “I would not be surprised to see a rise in flu cases this season compared to last year.”

Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.