(NewsNation) — The holiday season is here, and there are new concerns about COVID-19 across the U.S.
Health officials are urging precautions to reduce the spread, as some states have shifted from low to medium alert levels.
Dr. Susan Bleasdale, chief quality officer for the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, said medical experts are seeing an increase in new variants.
“We are not messaging panic, but we’re messaging caution,” Bleasdale said. “It’s really important to still get the last booster that protects you against the current variants, and make sure you get your flu shot as well leading into these holiday seasons of gathering. So we don’t see the same surges that we saw last year.”
Bleasdale also urges everyone to take precautions following the uptick in metrics.
“When you’re traveling and you’re going to be seeing someone that is vulnerable or you yourself are vulnerable, you’re going to likely need to wear a mask in public settings so that you’re going to protect yourself so that you don’t get COVID right before you gather or before you have a procedure yourself or if you’re at risk for it,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Bleasdale said it’s not just COVID people should take precautions against. With more gatherings planned through the end of the year, health officials are expecting to see a spike with the tripledemic: the flu, RSV and COVID.
She recommends everyone get tested before going to an event or outing because symptoms for the three illnesses are similar, and it’s hard to tell which illness could be affecting you. When in doubt, don’t attend events, she said.
“Get vaccinated, use your mask, stay home if you’re sick, get tested, make sure that it’s not just COVID,” Bleasdale said. “But if it’s not the flu or RSV, stay home and talk to your doctor and get treatments when it’s important for you.”