BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – New year, healthier you; medical professionals are sharing tips to keep your health a priority in 2023.
”We have seen a 30% increase in clinic volume over the holidays,” said Jillian Strayham, Executive Director of Primary Care and Provider Quality at Singing River Health System.
Medical clinics are booked up nearly each day with patients. At SRHS, Strayham says viruses like COVID-19 and the flu are on the rise.
“In two to three weeks, we’ve seen a huge influx of COVID-19 cases. That’s pretty unexpected since we’ve had a nice COVID-19 free fall. Mixing that in with the flu and strep and RSV, we are seeing that triple pandemic,” Strayham said.
This year, medical professionals are urging folks to protect their health. How can you do it? Here are a few tips…
“It takes a good two to three weeks for you to feel the effects of a flu vaccine. Someone is going to say it’s too late… It’s not too late for you to go get one. We actually recommend through the month of March. That’s our typical flu season,” Strayham said. “It’s not too late to go get a COVID-19 booster. I did mine the first week of November. Those are the biggest things we can recommend to minimize the effects of the illness.”
Strayham notes the basics like hand-washing, hydration, vitamins, and getting enough sleep. She also said to monitor symptoms as they develop.
“If you even think it’s something as mild as a sinus infection, please still go get checked out because it could develop into something more severe. Shortness of breath could rapidly progress through out the night. So any type of fever, body aches, chills anything like that, it’s not a bad thing to just go get checked out and have something mild,” said Strayham.
For quicker assistance, health experts recommend going to a medical clinic before seeking help in an emergency room.
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https://www.wlox.com/2023/01/03/health-professionals-share-tips-stay-healthy-new-year/
