Sad news this week as the Salt Lake County Health Department reported the flu related deaths of five people, including two children.
This news has the medical community renewing their call for everyone 6-months and older to get their flu shots.
Dr. Daniel Meltzer, Executive Medical Director for Regence said, “The uptick is significant in terms of the numbers that we’re seeing as well as the severity.”
Meltzer said this time of year typically sees an increase in respiratory illnesses like flu, RSV, COVID-19, and even the common cold.
“These are the same viral illnesses that we’ve seen for years now, certainly we haven’t seen COVID-19 as long as we’ve seen things like RSV and influenza,” said Meltzer.
But, he said there’s one big difference this year – as the latest numbers from the CDC show that only 40-percent of kids and adults have gotten their flu shot.
“So you have decreased vaccination and therefore decreased immunity for it. You have relaxation from it, if you will, or even fatigue from some of the common things you can do for it like hand hygiene, social distancing and masking – all of which are effective ways to a.) prevent illness, and b.) prevent severe illness,” said Meltzer.
With so many illnesses going around, how do you know when it’s time to see a doctor?
“I like to say if you just aren’t feeling well and, or you’re just not getting better, we encourage people to seek attention,” said Meltzer.
Difficulty breathing, persistent fevers, or vomiting are signs to reach out for medical help.
The other thing you can do if you haven’t already is to make sure your vaccines are up-to-date.
“It’s not too late to get vaccinated. We still have a fair amount of runway, if you will, for these viral illnesses. We’re going to be seeing them for several more months. And vaccination or immunization now can be helpful both in prevention of disease, and most importantly, in preventing the serious consequences of these illnesses,” said Meltzer.