Health officials warn of uptick of respiratory illnesses among low vaccination rates

It’s the season for respiratory viruses to ruin your holiday.

New data from the Centers for Disease Control show a troubling jump in the number of patients with COVID-19, flu, and RSV requiring hospitalization.

Dr. Andrew Pekosz with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health said being indoors more means an increase in illness.

“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. And that’s really thought to be that main trigger for the cases that are increasing,” Pekosz said.

Data shows over the past several weeks hospitalizations rose 200 percent for the flu, 51 percent for COVID, and 60 percent 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. And 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,” Pekosz said.

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But vaccination rates are lagging.

The CDC issued an advisory that low vaccination rates against flu, COVID and RSV with increasing cases could lead to more severe disease and strain on the healthcare system.

Pekosz said another thing we can do to prevent the spread of these viruses is to pay attention to symptoms and stay home if we are sick.

“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,” he said.

Using these tools can minimize the impact of these infections and keep more people safe.

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