Viral respiratory infection season is setting in for the northern hemisphere, which includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV.
The Centers for Disease Control is expecting similar hospitalization rates as last year, ramping up in December and peaking in February.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in Texas and spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, explained the risk of infection.
“During the fall and winter months, we're spending more time inside," Kuppalli said. "We're closer to people, and that could potentially increase the risk of transmitting infection.”
Kuppalli also emphasized the importance of staying up to date on respiratory vaccines.
“These vaccines can decrease the risk of getting infected and also onward transmission," Kuppalli said. "They also can reduce the risk of severity of disease if you do get infected, and that's important, especially for persons who are elderly in age, who have a depressed immune system, people who are immune compromised.”
Dr. Kuppalli recommends watching for symptoms, getting tested, and taking the right medications to treat the virus.
“One thing we don't talk a lot about is a lot of the viral infections that can cause these similar symptoms do have antivirals we can give for them," Kuppalli said. "So for influenza, we have a medicine called Tamiflu. For COVID-19, we have a medicine called Paxlovid.”
