Respiratory illness is on the rise across the country, but provincial health officials aren’t expecting a surge in new flu, RSV and COVID cases over the holiday season.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says while they do anticipate that the incidence of respiratory illness will increase during and after the holiday season, they aren’t expecting it to be extreme.
She says as is usual, they expect to see an increase in cases including flu and COVID through late December and into early January.
The number of confirmed cases of influenza have risen a bit earlier in the season, but that wasn’t unexpected given similar trends in the southern hemisphere.
Dr. Fitzgerald urges people to stay home if they feel unwell, and to employ the usual precautionary measures including sanitizing your hands regularly and wearing a mask when out in public if necessary.