CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Concerns of a post-holiday virus surge are on the minds of many medical experts as we head into the upcoming holiday weekend and first weeks of January.
According to CNN, some medical experts believe it’s “highly likely” that respiratory viruses could spread even more after holiday celebrations.
Meanwhile, people in Hampton Roads are continuing to protect themselves and their families, especially against COVID-19 and the Flu.
Tuesday night, Virginia Beach resident Jessica Miller made a post-Christmas stop at Battlefield Pharmacy in Chesapeake.
“We still have our hand sanitizer everywhere in almost every room still, and in our car a lot,” Miller said. “It’s been a little challenging because we’re finding like children and infant Tylenol has been really off the shelf.”
News 3 asked Miller what her family’s strategy was to protect themselves during the holiday season from viruses.
“We still kind of stay inside a little bit,” she said. “We don’t quarantine, per se, but we try to not go to big events still.”
Many medical experts, including Dr. John Harrington at CHKD, are concerned about a post-holiday virus surge.
“We’ll probably see a very good bump after the holidays,” Dr. Harrington said.
Concern is also growing after celebrations, people traveling, and as kids head back to the classroom next month.
“Hand washing, covering your face, covering your cough, those types of things are always difficult to do in a classroom setting,” Dr. Harrington said.
According to Dr. Harrington, so far, the number of patients he and others at CHKD have seen has been higher than normal.
“We’re still seeing probably one and a half to two times what we usually see,” he said. “Right now, we’re seeing a lot more COVID. We’re still seeing Flu. We still see some RSV and stuff, but I think Flu and COVID are vying for first place right now.”
Tuesday, Virginia Department of Health (VDH) officials told News 3 COVID cases have been going up over the past month.
Meanwhile, officials added Flu activity is coming down, but is still active.
VDH officials said, according to the most recent data from the department, about 6.4 percent of emergency department and urgent care visits is for ILI (Influenza-like illness).
“It has been higher in previous weeks, so, the fact that it’s coming down is a good sign,” Dr. Brooke Rossheim, Public Health Physician Specialist at the Office of Epidemiology for VDH said. “There’s nothing that says that that number can’t go back up again.”
This concern is why doctors say it's important to practice good hygiene, stay home if you're sick, and stay up to date on your vaccinations.
Meanwhile, Miller said her family will continue with their strategies to stay safe throughout the rest of the holiday season.
“We’ll probably just do like a couple of family functions, and just stay inside mostly,” Miller said.
Doctors said hand and cough hygiene are important.
This includes washing your hands regularly.
If you have to cough, cough into either your arm or a tissue, and not out into the open air.
Also, always make sure you’re disinfecting surfaces, like keyboards, before touching them.
