TAMPA, Fla. — The holiday season is underway with nearly half of all Americans planning to travel, and even more planning to gather with family and friends.
At the same time, Americans are facing one of the worst flu seasons in years as well as rising COVID and strep throat cases.
The CDC estimates, so far this season, there have been at least 15 million illnesses, 150,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths from flu.
Dr. Michael Teng, an associate professor of medicine at the University of South Florida with a Ph.D. in immunology, predicts those case numbers will continue to rise over the holiday season.
"I do think we'll see an uptick," Teng said. "I think the real issue is that we're not really taking as many precautions as we used to. Precautions like masking, distancing, and washing are all really good for all of the respiratory viruses out there."
Teng also points to low COVID vaccination rates in Florida as an indicator we will see a rise.
"Here in Florida, the uptake of the booster has been pretty low, especially in the elderly category, which is a lot more susceptible to infection. I would love to see that number go up because I do think that we're going to start getting more transmission of COVID," Teng explained.
To keep your loved ones safe over the holidays, he recommends people get their COVID booster shot and a flu shot. Furthermore, he recommends testing for COVID before gathering.
"Testing is really important, especially if you're feeling some sort of symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose," Teng said.
Even if your test is negative, if you have symptoms, Teng recommends you keep your distance from vulnerable groups.
"If you're feeling symptomatic, try to avoid contact with those people who are vulnerable to significant disease for respiratory infections, you know, people who are a little bit older, people who may have preexisting medical conditions."
At the very least, he says you can also open a window to let fresh air circulate throughout your time gathering.
"Avoid spending a lot of time together in enclosed spaces. See if you can go out to the park or something like that outside. If you're in close proximity, and especially if you're feeling symptomatic and you want to be with your loved ones, make sure that you wear a mask so you don't transmit."
Teng also recommends masking up in the days ahead of your gathering, especially if you're around large groups of people while traveling, etc.
"Airports, airplanes, you know, crowded movie theaters. These are places where there are a lot of people together in close proximity. That's a great place to mask up," Teng said.
Taking these precautions to protect your health and that of your friends and family is also a way to show some love to healthcare workers this holiday season.
"We're seeing, especially up north, situations where they're having a lot of cases that are starting to put a strain again on our healthcare system," Teng said. "You know, if you do get infected, there's a chance that you're going to have to go to the hospital and they're starting to get really busy again. So any ounce of prevention is really important."