RSV, flu, COVID-19 on the rise in DC area
WASHINGTON - Health officials are urging medical professionals to take precautions in the face of an uptick in flu, COVID and RSV now that the holidays are over.
The Maryland Department of Health is urging healthcare systems throughout the state to re-instate their masking policies in an effort to keep people treating respiratory patients from getting sick themselves.
Hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent care clinics in the DMV area are seeing an uptick in sick visits.
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The Centers for Disease Control's dashboard shows that Maryland and D.C. are listed in the ‘high’ category for RSV and flu, while Virginia is listed as ‘very high.’ And the CDC says the worst of the respiratory illness season is yet to come.
And for many people, it seems like it's taking people longer to feel better.
"It’s not their imagination, people are staying sick longer. I’m seeing that in my practice, normally a respiratory virus will come, and you’ll do what you need to do, and you’ll get better and when it’s gone it’s gone. That is not what’s not what we’re seeing this season," said Dr. Jill Waggoner.
Dr. Kisha Davis, Montgomery County’s health officer, says one reason is isolation during the COVID years may have weakened our immune systems. Another reason? Rebounding illnesses.
"We are seeing a lot of people getting sick back to back and as soon as they get over one thing, another thing hits them. Maybe it’s COVID and then they get flu, or it’s the common cold and they get the RSV on top of it and so we’re seeing people with illness that’s seems to be lasting," said Davis.