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Rising respiratory infections could strain MI health care system

Infant in intensive care
cdc.gov
Infant in intensive care

Michigan health officials are worried about the state’s health care infrastructure as we move into winter when respiratory infections typically rise

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, cases spiked in October, influenza infections are rising, and most counties in Michigan are at the ‘medium’ level of community spread for Covid-19.

The state’s Chief Medical Executive, Doctor Natasha Bagdasarian, says, for small children, RSV can be very serious and put a strain on institutions:

“It's a nightmare scenario for schools and for hospitals we're really concerned about our health care capacity right now and so our advice to the public is to use the tools we have to really think about this as being viral respiratory season and to use whatever tools we have”

Those tools include wearing a mask indoors, staying home when you’re sick, and getting flu and Coronavirus vaccines.

In Michigan over 1,200 people are hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19. Last week 156 people died from Covid-19-related infections in the state.

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