READING, Pa. - Respiratory illness numbers are going up across the country following holiday gatherings.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of this past week, flu activity is high in Pennsylvania, and very high in New Jersey.

In our very own region, "We are seeing more cases of respiratory illnesses." says Dr. Debra Powell, chief of infectious diseases at Tower Health, "Be aware that most of our hospitals are close to capacity a number of days we have been over capacity and have had to open up additional beds for patients."

Many of those beds are filled with patients needing care for Covid, RSV and the flu. "We are primarily seeing the high-risk age groups which are those people of older ages and also people with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, lung diseases, heart diseases." says Dr. Powell.

Dr. Debra Powell of Tower Health says the rise in cases is expected. "I think we're seeing about the same number we saw this time last year maybe about an extra 10 patients." says Dr. Powell, well below numbers from 2 or 3 years ago, but she still urges people to do their best to avoid getting sick.

"Be up to date on your vaccine, if you're sick please stay home, call your primary care physician if you need additional testing or treatment." says Dr. Powell.

Dr. Powell recommends getting the new omicron covid vaccine released in September as well as your flu shot.

The good news is, "What we're seeing with RSV is those numbers have come down it has plateaued." says Dr. Powell.

How long will the spike last? "We will see flu probably till after the spring hopefully it'll peak and then start to tamper down." says Dr. Powell, "We don't know what happens with covid, it depends on the strains that are circulating."

Her prediction is that it'll peak by mid-January and go down, but time will tell the doctor says.

Go here to see the original:

COVID, RSV and Flu cases on the rise in Berks County - 69News WFMZ-TV