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Everyone seems sick now. With flu, COVID-19 and RSV cases surging in Monroe County, it can be difficult to know what you have and how to treat it.
News10NBC investigated what’s going on and how you can protect yourself and your family.
The surge we’re seeing isn’t necessarily unusual, but it’s creating problems for hospitals and health care providers. And since we’re still in the midst of coronavirus and flu season, we wanted to remind you of some best practices for this season.
The vacation will end in a few days. Celebrating together is more than just sharing gifts and good times. RSV and influenza cases have been increasing since October, according to the latest Monroe County data. In the week leading up to Christmas, more than 520 people tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus and more than 1,300 people contracted influenza.
Dr. Angela Branch, an infectious disease physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said, “We’re seeing a lot of hospitalizations for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, and our hospitals are full.” She said even they have difficulty pinpointing a patient’s illness, and said home coronavirus tests are about 70% accurate when used correctly.
“Even if your home test is negative, we still recommend calling your doctor. If you’re healthy enough to stay home, you can also consider going to the emergency room,” Branch says.
She said wearing a mask in public, keeping your hands clean and avoiding touching your face are great ways to prevent getting something, but the best prevention is vaccination. Ta.
“It’s never too late to get vaccinated. Even if vaccines don’t protect you from disease or infection, they certainly protect you from severe disease,” Blanchet said.
While almost everyone is eligible for COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, only people 60 and older can receive the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. This excludes one of her most at-risk populations: children.
Daniel Adam, medical director for the Spencerport Central School District, said officials are constantly monitoring attendance to see if clusters are occurring. And if we start noticing more students getting sick, we’ll try to slow the spread of the disease.
“A nurse will come into the classroom and discuss respiratory etiquette. Make sure the kids are coughing and make sure they’re covering their face,” Adam said.
Of course, one of the best ways to stay healthy is to have less physical contact, but if that’s not possible, you should wear a mask.