As temperatures fall and winter approaches, health care professionals are gearing up for flu season.
While flu is the main concern right now, providers are keeping an eye on an array of respiratory viruses, ranging from the common cold to Covid. John Fink is a family physician and the Interim Chief Medical Officer at Bayhealth. He says the First State hasn’t seen an uptick in the flu yet.
“But we know it's coming," he says. "There is some flu starting to make its way towards the East Coast and some newer strains as well that are not included in this year's flu vaccine, which do give us a little bit of concern.”
Fink stresses it’s not too late to get vaccinated for flu and other respiratory ailments.
“People who are vaccinated - communities that are vaccinated - have a much lower likelihood of hospitalization death for diseases like flu and COVID," he says.
He also recommends regularly washing your hands and staying home if you start feeling sick.
If you do start feeling symptoms, stay home and know when to call your physician versus when to go to the emergency room.
“If somebody's having actual trouble breathing, if they're having chest pains, that's where we want them to seek care in the emergency department," Fink says.
He says many symptoms, like a low grade fever and recurrent cough without trouble breathing, can be handled by a call to your primary care provider, helping keep emergency rooms less crowded during this busy season.
