CDC encourages people to wear masks to help prevent spread of Covid, flu and RSV over the holidays - CNBC

The Centers for Disease Control Prevention connected Monday encouraged radical to deterioration masks to assistance trim the dispersed of respiratory illnesses this play arsenic Covid, flu and RSV circulate astatine the aforesaid time.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, successful a telephone with reporters, said wearing a disguise is 1 of respective mundane precautions that radical tin instrumentality to trim their chances of catching oregon spreading a respiratory microorganism during the engaged vacation season.

"We besides promote you to deterioration a high-quality, well-fitting disguise to forestall the dispersed of respiratory illnesses," said Walensky, adding that radical surviving successful areas with precocious levels of Covid transmission should particularly see masking.

The CDC manager said the bureau is considering expanding its strategy of Covid assemblage levels to instrumentality into relationship different respiratory viruses specified arsenic the flu. The strategy is the ground for erstwhile CDC advises the nationalist to deterioration masks. But Walensky encouraged radical to instrumentality proactive action.

"One request not hold connected CDC enactment successful bid to enactment a disguise on," Walensky said. "We would promote each of those preventive measures — manus washing, staying location erstwhile you're sick, masking, accrued ventilation — during respiratory microorganism season, but particularly successful areas of precocious Covid-19 assemblage levels."

About 5% of the U.S. colonisation lives successful counties wherever the CDC is officially recommending masks owed to precocious Covid levels. The CDC continues to urge masking for anyone travelling by plane, train, autobus oregon different forms of nationalist transportation, Walensky said.

People with anemic immune systems and those who different look a heightened hazard of terrible illness should besides see wearing a mask, the CDC manager said.

Walensky powerfully encouraged everyone eligible to person their flu changeable and Covid booster. Flu vaccination sum is lagging for at-risk groups — children nether property 5, large women, and at-risk seniors — compared with past year, the CDC manager said. There is nary vaccine for RSV.

"I privation to stress that the flu vaccine tin beryllium beingness redeeming and importantly, there's inactive clip to get vaccinated to beryllium protected against flu this play and its imaginable superior consequences," Walensky said.

The flu has arrived aboriginal and deed the U.S. hard with hospitalizations astatine a decennary precocious for this clip of year. More than 8.7 cardinal radical person fallen ill, 78,000 person been hospitalized, and 4,500 radical person died from the flu this season, according to CDC data. Fourteen children person died from the flu truthful acold this season.

More than 19,000 radical were hospitalized with the flu during the week ending Nov. 26, astir treble the erstwhile week, according to CDC data.

People hospitalized with Covid besides accrued 27% during the week ending Dec. 2, according to CDC data. And respiratory syncytial virus, oregon RSV, has been hospitalizing children astatine higher complaint than successful erstwhile years. Walensky said RSV appears to person peaked successful the Southeast and whitethorn beryllium leveling disconnected successful the Mid-Atlantic, though circulation of the microorganism remains precocious successful overmuch of the nation.

"We present look yet different surge of illness. Another infinitesimal of overstretched capableness and truly 1 of tragic and often preventable death," Walensky said, arsenic she thanked health-care workers for their work during the repeated surges of unwellness they person confronted since the Covid pandemic began.

Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, committee seat of the American Medical Association, said the circulation of Covid, flu and RSV astatine the aforesaid is simply a "a cleanable tempest for a unspeakable vacation season." Fryhofer said she understands galore radical are bushed of receiving repeated Covid shots, but getting vaccinated is the champion mode to avoiding falling sick implicit the holidays.

"You could get really, truly sick this twelvemonth and ruin your vacation celebrations if you don't get vaccinated," Fryhofer said during Monday's call.

The Children's Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics past period asked the Biden medication to declare a nationalist wellness emergency successful effect to the surge of pediatric hospitalizations from RSV and the flu.