October 18, 2022 - 12:56pm
COVID Update for Chippewa Valley Region - things continue to hold steady at substantial/high rates of transmission.
As many of you likely know, there is still a lot of COVID going around. Many of us have friends, neighbors, colleagues, or family (or all of the above, in my case!) who have been diagnosed in the past few weeks. The number of reported cases is increasingly likely to be a severe undercount as more and more people are simply no longer testing or not reporting. As before, if you really don't want to get it, for whatever reason, it makes sense to exercise caution and avoid high-risk situations and/or wear a mask. (If you are within the "golden window" of 60 days after a recent infection, however, you are exceedingly unlikely to get re-infected.)
We continue to see fairly high levels of hospitalized folks. The current level is sustainable, from a health care capacity perspective, IF there are no other stresses on the system. We are entering the fall/winter season when respiratory viruses peak, and so far it looks as though this year will be a more "normal" influenza year, with more cases than we've had in recent years. Hospitals typically are under strain each winter due to influenza alone, so there is justifiable concern as to whether they can handle flu + COVID, especially with our now-depleted (morally and numerically) health care workforce.
Therefore, PLEASE get your updated COVID booster (everyone ages 5 and up) if you haven't already, and PLEASE get your flu shot (everyone ages 6 months and older) if you haven't yet this fall. Anything we can do to decrease both transmission and severe illness from these two viruses will be VERY helpful in protecting our hospital capacity this winter. Both vaccines are available through your regular health care provider and at many local pharmacies.
COVID is here to stay, and many folks are simply adjusting to it. Please keep in mind that for some individuals, however, it is still a potentially risky infection, so be sure to respect those who still wish to exercise a high degree of caution.
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