Like everyone else in the country we continue to experience high levels of respiratory illness in our community. COVID-19, Influenza A, and RSV are the biggest players but other viruses are also contributing to unprecedented numbers of sick children (not to mention parents, health care providers, day care providers, and teachers).
What can you do help?
- Get yourself and your children vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. There is no vaccine for RSV at this time.
- The CDC is now recommending masking again in public places.
- Keep your holiday plans simple. This year is not the best year for that huge family gathering. It’s safer to keep your social events within your own households and your own workplaces, with the people you already spend time with.
- Test early with a home test for COVID if you feel sick and test again a day or two later if it’s negative.
- Please don’t go to the hospital Emergency Department unless it’s for a truly urgent problem that can’t be taken care of any other way.
- Testing for RSV isn’t recommended in the outpatient setting and knowing the results doesn’t add anything to the care of your child; please don’t clog up our area labs by requesting this. Testing for influenza MAY be useful if it’s in the first 24-48 hours for a higher-risk person or in order to tell what is causing a high fever. Home testing for COVID is of course widely available and useful in order to plan your isolation.