Cold and flu season is underway this year with spikes in respiratory virus activity. Experts said the spike hasn’t quite hit San Antonio's adults, but kids are already dealing with illnesses.
COVID-19, the flu and RSV are on the rise again. The number of cases statewide for the flu have increased, with the Texas Department of State Health Services reporting 717 pneumonia and influenza related deaths, though COVID-19 cases and fatalities dropped.
Dr. Jason Bowling, the top infectious disease physician at University Health and UT Health San Antonio, said he expected the spikes to really hit the city around the new year.
“So one [scenario] that is talked about is people gathered together in indoor spaces when it's cold outside. We really don't get super cold in San Antonio, but people do get together for the holiday celebrations,” Bowling said. “One of the things during the colder months is that the relative humidity decreases. It becomes a bit drier, which makes it a little bit easier to transmit respiratory viruses.”
Bowling said the best way to prevent spread is to get vaccinated for all three major viruses, flu, COVID-19, and RSV and to wear a mask in crowded public spaces during peak season.
Dr. Norm Christopher, the chief medical officer of CHRISTUS Children, said in the past few weeks, medical professionals have seen an increase of patients in the emergency rooms with a respiratory virus.
“We’ve been seeing longer waits in our emergency rooms,” Christopher said. “As the weather gets cooler, kids are back in school, and after the summer being away, they’re more likely to be exposed.”
He added that they prep each year for the surge in influenza, RSV and COVD-19 for the winter season. He said that the typical handwashing and avoiding people who are sick is not a practical thing to ask of young kids. But everyone gets the advice to stay home when sick and keep young babies away from social events where they can be exposed to viruses.
“The signs and symptoms that a parent should look for are ... a little bit of nasal congestion, a runny nose, a little bit of a dry, hacking cough. Oftentimes that's about as bad as it gets, that's about as severe as it gets,” he said.
Christopher said to call primary care physicians first before heading to the ER if the symptoms are mild.
According to a report from NPR, new at-home over-the-counter tests can prevent a visit to the doctor. Testing for both COVID and both strands of influenza can be done at home. However, Bowling said some symptoms do call for a visit to the doctor.
“So if anybody has severe symptoms, they need to go be seen. If somebody is having shortness of breath, pain in their chest, if they're having trouble staying awake … really not able to stay awake more sleepy than usual,” Bowling added “In conjunction with symptoms of infection, those are all warning signs that they need to go be seen by a provider.”
