From Local 3 News: Holiday travel is back to pre-pandemic levels, but we're not out of the woods just yet when it comes to respiratory illnesses i
From Local 3 News: Holiday travel is back to pre-pandemic levels, but we’re not out of the woods just yet when it comes to respiratory illnesses in the community. Health officials are now warning of a possible “Tridemic.”
Dr. Stephen Clark Miller, Hamilton County’s Health Officer said there’s a spike in flu-like cases.
“We’re still seeing a rise, no change in that at this time. It’s very early in the season for that. In the background, we’re also seeing a strong number of RSV,” explained Dr. Miller.
The good news, COVID cases have not increased as much, but Dr. Miller said COVID cases still contribute to overwhelming hospital staff.
“When you already have that, plus the increased numbers of flu like cases and then the RSV in the children, it’s really filling up our hospitals, both on the pediatrics side and the adult side.”
He said hospitals are running low on flu test kits, which is uncommon for this time of year.
With all three illnesses having similar symptoms, they can be hard to distinguish, but Dr. Miller said your doctor can usually tell the difference.
“When a child or young adult comes in, at times you can tell they are leaning towards RSV because they’ll have a lot of nasal secretions, they’ll have a lot of flem with it. Whereas many times with influenza, it’s more of a dry cough appearance, all of these can give you fever and of course cough.”
Age also makes a difference in the symptoms and diseases. This holiday season Dr. Miller said parents with newborn babies and seniors should be cautious when visiting people or in large gatherings.
“Just exercise caution. We’re going to be traveling a lot, we’re going to be entertaining a lot of people and be considerate. If you’re going to be visiting someone who is elderly or someone who once again has a very young child try to take that into consideration and if you’re not feeling well, don’t go over to their house, stay home.”
He said the best thing you can do to protect yourself during this cold season is to make sure you’re up-to-date on your vaccines. The Hamilton County Health Department is offering free COVID and flu vaccinations at all their locations and you do not need an appointment.
