Feeling sick? Its not just you. COVID and flu on the rise in Mass. – MassLive.com

If youre feeling sick or just got over an illness, youre not alone. And if you have yet to come down with something this season take care.

The severity level of influenza, more commonly known as the flu, was upgraded to high this week by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which reports disease indicators weekly on its website.

In addition to the flu, COVID-19 cases have been on a steady increase in the state, rising from just over 5,600 cases in the week ending on Dec. 16 to more than 6,000 cases in the week ending on Dec. 23 the most recent data available. That number has been steadily rising since the end of October, according to state data.

Wastewater surveillance, which was determined to be a good indicator of the level of COVID-19 infection in an area, also increased last week, rising to a statewide average concentration of more than 2 million copies of the virus for the first time in the second half of the year.

The most recent data covers a time before the Christmas holiday, when many families had indoor gatherings.

The data comes amid a lag in vaccination this season. Whereas more than 41% of people had received a flu shot by this point last year, less than 37% have gotten a flu shot this year, state data said.

For COVID-19, the number of people with a new vaccination is about 18%.

Hospitals have been responding to the increase in infectious disease by reinstating mask mandates. Signs on the walls of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield say masks are required at all times. This is a change from the guidelines in the fall when visitors were required to wear a mask in patients rooms and patient care areas. Masks were optional in common spaces such as cafeterias and corridors.

Masking policies at other Massachusetts hospitals are being updated, as well.

Influenza-like illnesses are at a high level across the state and are at a very high level in north shore, south shore, and Cape and Island communities, according to state data.

Acute respiratory diseases were the cause of 16.7% of emergency department visits in the state during the week of Dec. 17-23, including COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. That number decreased slightly from the previous week, where it was 17.3%.

While the overall number went down, the number of emergency department visits for influenza went up, from 2% to 2.7% of all visits.

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Feeling sick? Its not just you. COVID and flu on the rise in Mass. - MassLive.com