Rising COVID rates and a bad flu season could result in a twin-demic – WSKG.org

WRVO COVID-19 numbers are on the rise in central and upstate New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listsOnondaga, Oswego, and Jefferson counties as areas with high community COVID-19 levels.

Dr. Stephen Thomas, the Director of the Institute for Global Health at SUNY Upstate Medical University, said he has a message for people when it comes to COVID-19 prevention:

Its all now on you, said Thomas. Its all on the individual to be making these smart decisions.

Thomas said its important to remember the risk of COVID-19 is still out there. Since mask mandates and gathering limits were lifted, were seeing the fall COVID-19 spike hit a little earlier than recent years, when numbers started to go up around Halloween.

And Thomas said COVID-19 isnt the only thing hes keeping an eye on this season.

I think flus going to come raging back, he said. Not just flu, but RSV, rhinovirus, enterovirus, metapneumovirus, pneumococcal pneumonia, I think theyre all going to be making a resurgence.

Thomas said now is a good time for people who are in higher risk groups to make a plan to take precautions, especially people who are over age 65 or have significant medical conditions. That could mean masking at indoor events, getting a flu shot, and getting the new Bivalent COVID vaccines, which are designed to protect against the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

Getting COVID-19 and another illness like the flu at the same time can make symptoms even worse, and Thomas said he has concerns about the effect the coming months will have on a healthcare system still struggling from the strain of the pandemic.

Were going to be back in, a little bit, of a land of hurt because of the number of people who need to be admitted to the hospital, said Thomas. But theres not going to be room at the inn, and youre not going to have the staffing.

Thomas said one way to mitigate the spread would be for people who are at high risk of getting infected and spreading it to others, like medical workers and teachers, to also consider extra precautions, like masking and making sure theyre up to date on boosters.

The rest is here:

Rising COVID rates and a bad flu season could result in a twin-demic - WSKG.org