Doctor says the surge in Covid, flu and RSV cases post-holidays can be helped by prevention

FOX 2 (WJBK) - The rise in post-holiday respiratory viruses are up, which means, unfortunately, so are hospitalizations.

"Our vaccination rates are one of the lowest at this point, nationally," said Dr. Teena Chopra, corporate medical director DMC.

Whether we want to admit it or not, the proof is in the numbers - and we’re not just talking about one virus - we’re talking about several.

"We aren't just dealing with one virus, a virus, we have the flu virus, we have the RSV, and we have Covid," she said. "So it is a time of the year when we want to be more cautious."

There’s a revolving door of folks calling out sick this time of year and as a result, employers are feeling the pinch.

All the more reason Chopra and her team of infectious disease experts at Detroit Medical Center are pushing for people to prioritize booster and flu shots.

"Covid vaccines, I've only been taken by 18 percent of the adults, the boosters, so which is really low," she said. "And we have the flu vaccine and the flu vaccination rates are also not very high they are at 40 percent."

With more people gathering indoors due to cold temps transmission is high and the reality is it's hard to track people's every move.

This means at any given point, exposure to a respiratory virus of some sort is likely – especially if you aren’t taking proper precautions.

"I think people should understand that vaccinations will save you from hospitalization and severe disease," said Chopra.

The doctor spoke about the importance of testing and issued a heads-up for parents of young kids and seniors 60 and up. Metro Detroit has seen a peak in RSV and flu cases, in addition to Covid.

"I just had RSV infection," Chopra said. "I got it from my daughter who goes to school. I have had it for, I would say almost three weeks.

"I was exposed three weeks ago, and it is a prolonged cough and prolonged cold. It can cause laryngitis, you could use sometimes can lose your voice, and it can be very disruptive to your work."

In addition to getting updated vaccinations, wash those hands, carry mask a with you - and stay home if you’re sick.

Chopra recommends anyone who is immunocompromised to take even more precautions. Symptoms often intensify and linger longer if your immune system is already weak.

"Testing is very important not only for transparency and exposure mitigation," she said. "But also very important for treatment. So there are three, three advantages of testing. And I think we should continue, employers should continue encouraging testing, which will actually help mitigate absenteeism and will help also mitigate any kind of transmission."