Flu season is hitting harder and earlier than we have seen in recent years, according to medical experts.
There has been an increase in people testing positive.
“We are seeing a big spike in the flu here in the local area,” said Dr. Ryan Light with Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group.
He said they are also seeing an increase in respiratory syncytial virus cases as well.
Rosalyn Fountain said she always wears a mask, especially with the number of flu cases on the rise.
“I’m a senior citizen so I have to protect myself,” said Fountain.
Positive flu cases are on the rise across the country with a very high activity level in our region, according to the CDC.
Dr. Ryan Light said we haven’t seen a flu season like this in a few years, especially during the height of the pandemic.
“We did a lot of things to prevent the flu so we had people working from home. We socially distanced. We wore masks. We had good hand hygiene. We kind of have let our guard down a little bit,” said Dr. Light.
He says flu season is arriving earlier than usual.
“Normally, we see flu season between December and February however, we’re now seeing it in October and November and the spike is much earlier than what we would normally see,” said Dr. Light.
Dr. Light said to stay home if you are sick.
“The biggest thing you can do for yourself is vaccinate and have good hand hygiene, cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze and make sure you wash your hands,” said Dr. Light.
But how long should you wash your hands? Dr. Light says to sing the happy birthday song twice.
He said hand sanitizer works against it as well.
For the weekly report from Virginia Health Department click here.
Here's the weekly report from the CDC: Here's the weekly report from the CDC
