News

COVID-19, Influenza A and B cases increase since start of January

by Kate Evans

While seasonal influenza activity has risen and keeps increasing across the country, local physicians have been seeing lots of cases of COVID-19 and Influenza A and B.

River Bend Family Medicine

Heather Goodman, certified medical assistant with River Bend Family Medicine, said that their office had seen a lot of COVID-19 and both Influenza A and B cases since the beginning of January. There have also been many cases of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Their staff hadn’t seen much RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus), but there had been many norovirus cases.  There isn’t much medical staff can do to treat norovirus, but they’d given people information about things to try to make themselves more comfortable while they recover.  Their office had had a lot of calls about the disease.

Goodman said they’d also had normal routine cases of sinus infections that they generally have this time of year, but not very much strep. There has been a lot of lingering coughs in patients from the COVID-19 virus.

Goodman said River Bend Family Medicine has been very busy this past month with seeing 15-20 acute illness visits a day.

Morgan County Schools

Morgan County Schools lead nurse Gina Mellott said that while they’d had some busy days with illness, overall they’ve been running with normal numbers in the schools.  They’ve had some cases of COVID, respiratory and stomach viruses reported to them, but it has not been excessive in any of the schools.

“I believe the snow days coming back from break may have helped with the spread of holiday illness from travel and gatherings, giving those time to dissipate,” Mellott noted.

CDC flu information

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that there have been at least 20 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 11,000 deaths so far from flu this season.

The CDC said that 16 pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza virus infection were reported this past week, bringing the season total to 47 pediatric deaths.

The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine.

Prevent illness

Preventing the flu, COVID, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and other respiratory illnesses involves the same basic precautionary measures.

Follow these tips from health officials to stay healthy year-round:

–Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

–Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer made of at least 60% alcohol if soap and water aren’t available for hand-washing.

–Cover your coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue or your upper shirt sleeve-not your hands.

–Avoid touching your face, eyes and nose.

–Stay home if you or your child are sick, except to get medical care.

–Don’t send a sick child to school or day care.

–Avoid close contact with others, such as kissing, shaking hands and sharing cups and eating utensils.

— Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones, counter-tops, cell phones and keyboards often.

— Consider wearing a face mask, especially if you develop a runny nose, cough or fever or if you are at high risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, RSV or other respiratory illnesses.   Avoid others that aren’t wearing masks if possible.

–Keep six feet distance between you and other people indoors and outdoors to avoid spreading COVID, flu and respiratory viruses.

–Get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and take Vitamin C, D and zinc to help recovery from illness.

–Get the yearly influenza vaccine and the updated COVID vaccine to ensure that you and your family are protected during the holidays. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the RSV and pneumonia vaccines.