More frequent illness means that lives and work will be interrupted more frequently, which greatly increases employee absenteeism, and the flu risk alone costs billions of dollars in medical and economic losses, as well as millions of lost working days.
Heidi Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, an organization focused on curbing chronic absenteeism, said concerns about the coronavirus had contributed to high rates of children missing school.
"Emergency rooms are crowded with people coughing and sneezing, and that puts a burden on society," especially when more than one virus is circulating, said Dr. Heller, an immunologist and infectious disease specialist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Doctors and pharmacies are getting busier, preparing to vaccinate people.
Data from the end of October show that the US is making slow progress in COVID-19 vaccination this season. While there is a new drug this season that targets babies against RSV infection, it is in short supply due to high demand.
Doctors are also urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to help curb the rate of infection.
"COVID-19" is a disease caused by a new coronavirus called "Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2". Patients can develop mild to moderate respiratory disease, while the elderly and people with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular disease are more likely to develop severe disease, and people of any age can become ill, become seriously ill or die.
Routes of transmission include respiratory droplets, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus, short-range aerosols, or airborne transmission. The virus can also spread in poorly ventilated or crowded indoor environments. Therefore, you should wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, and get vaccinated to prevent infection.
Seasonal influenza (influenza) is an acute respiratory infection caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms of the flu include acute fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue, and the incubation period is usually about 2 days. Influenza can also cause severe illness or death, especially in people at high risk.
Flu is usually spread from person to person when people cough or sneeze. Vaccination is the best way to prevent it.
Human respiratory syncytial virus infection is caused by respiratory syncytial virus, a single stranded RNA virus.
It is prone to respiratory diseases, such as trachea, lung and middle ear infections. The patient will have fever and other symptoms such as cough, headache and fatigue. The incubation period is usually 5 to 7 days.
The virus can be spread through direct contact with secretions, droplets, or indirectly through contaminated hands, eating utensils, or by touching objects that have recently been contaminated with secretions from the nose or throat of the patient. People should practice good personal and environmental hygiene to prevent it.
