Flu and COVID-19 hospitalizations nationally have slightly declined for the first time in weeks since spiking after the holidays, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
But Northeast Ohio doctors say people shouldn't let their guards down, because COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, tend to peak through February.
Cleveland Clinic family physician Dr. Neha Vyas said rates of those seasonal illnesses are not extreme right now, but they are trending upwards.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising among elderly people, but Vyas said the recently emerged JN.1 subvariant is milder than previous strains, and overall isn’t leading to as many hospitalizations or deaths.
Though a lot of people who got sick after the holidays are recovering, Vyas said she expects more to get sick due to the extreme cold expected in Northeast Ohio and much of the nation for another week or so.
“The weather doesn't help," she said. "They're all sort of cooped up indoors, which doesn't really help things because we're around other people.”
She said she's seeing some complacency set in this winter —anecdotally, she said holiday parties have gotten bigger, people seem to be less vigilant about covering their coughs and sneezes in public, and more importantly, relatively small numbers of people are getting vaccinated for RSV, COVID-19 and the flu.
“Number one, two, three and four should be vaccines," Vyas said.
"Masking in public places or crowded places would be helpful," she added. "Washing our hands before we eat [would be] certainly helpful as well as covering our coughs and sneezes. And staying home when we're not feeling well and not trying to tough it out."
Some patients tell her they want to spread out their vaccines, but Vyas said stacking them shouldn’t lead to serious side effects in most people.
RSV vaccines for adults 60 and older and pregnant women are available for the first time this year.
Though the COVID vaccine has moved from a government-funded and distributed model to a commercial one, she said most people should be able to get vaccinated for free, whether through private insurance or other programs.
People can get vaccinated at their nearest pharmacy or clinic, or at their primary care doctor’s office.
