PEORIA, Ill. – The risk of respiratory viruses is on the rise now that cold weather is starting to blanket central Illinois.
OSF Healthcare Doctor Brian Curtis tells WMBD’s “Greg and Dan” they’re currently “knee deep” in dealing with many viruses.
“COVID, RSV, and influenza are kinda surging right now. We’re seeing it in communities, we’re seeing it in your families. And we’ve seen a drop off of strep this month, compared to last month, and so that’s good. And so really, we are seeing what we expect to see this time of year,” Curtis said.
Curtis says they’re also seeing an increase in hospitalizations due COVID and flu, but not at the levels seen during the pandemic. He says RSV is starting to surge in the normal season that it typically would, compared to the past couple years where it would surge in the summer.
For those that are starting to feel some of the symptoms of a cold or flu, Curtis suggests they stay home to prevent spreading it to others. He says people will try and fight through it at work or in the public.
Curtis says some people will even see a doctor to try and get better faster, but notes that would not do much.
“The issue with that is that there’s not a lot for us to do for you, so if you’re actually mildly symptomatic, the best thing for you to do is to stay home. You’ll get better faster, you’ll affect a lot less people,” Curtis said.
Curtis says some of those home remedies people can do include having chicken noodle soup and taking warm showers. He also suggests taking Tylenol and Motrin for aches and pains.
Curtis says one can try a decongestant, but says those can affect a person’s blood pressure and sleep, when sleep is needed to help in recovery.
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