SAN ANTONIO — The flu, RSV, COVID-19, colds, stomach bugs and allergies. You or someone you know is probably sick right now. All of those illnesses are increasing in number and knocking many south Texans down for the count.
All five of those illnesses and more are infecting more people this winter as the weeks roll on. But health officials say the key to beating them, is to know what you have by getting tested.
"We're seeing more flu in the kind of teenage kids and the preteen kids. We're seeing more RSV in the younger kids, the kids less than five. And then in adults we're seeing COVID and mostly flu," said George Willis, a University Hospital emergency medicine physician.
To protect yourself from the illnesses floating around, physicians say get vaccinated for the flu, COVID and RSV if you are eligible. Wash your hands and don't touch your face. Avoid "high-touch" surfaces and disinfect surfaces at home. Don't share utensils with sick people. And wear a mask if you are immunocompromised or have anything contagious and may be around people. Also stay away from the ER unless you have severe symptoms.
"I'm talking about you're going up the steps and you're noticing that you're more short of breath than usual. That's probably a time to come in," Willis added.
"We're hearing about a lot of children that have been testing testing positive for RSV, but a lot of adults in our facility have tested positive for RSV," said Jessica Carrasco, a registered respiratory therapist with St. Luke's Baptist Hospital.
If you have a fever or chills, it is likely COVID-19 or the flu. If you have a cough, congestion and a sore throat, you could have COVID-19, the flu or a cold, but likely not RSV. But if your symptoms are itchy eyes, a runny nose and congestion without a cough or fever, odds are you've got allergies. Regardless, since so many symptoms overlap, the best thing is to get to a doctor and get tested.
"If it means that it stops you from spreading the flu to your elderly grandparent or parent or your child. Why not just stop the line and think about other people's lives that you're affecting," Carrasco said.
San Antonio's Metro Health stresses it is not too late for people to get the flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines, and they can receive all three shots at the same time.
For data on COVID-19, check out Metro Health's surveillance dashboard available on our website.
For flu data, check out their weekly reports.