Health officials share tips to stay healthy during the holidays as possible tripledemic looms

CHARLOTTE — While health officials across the country are bracing themselves for a triple demic, emergency rooms in North Carolina are seeing a spike in patients with respiratory virus syndrome.

Statistics from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) show that the numbers have been on the rise for the last month, but doctors across the state have tips that can keep you and your family healthy this holiday season.

Recent NCDHHS reports show that nearly 10% of all emergency room patients in the last week had respiratory virus symptoms.

Dr. Onyinye Igbokwe practices family medicine with Novant Health. She says that contact with family and colder temperatures will lead to higher case numbers, especially with more people staying indoors this time of year.

“I’m thinking after Thanksgiving after we have all this multi-generational mixing, that we’re going to start seeing a little bit of a higher number,” Igobokwe said.

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Igobok We recommend regularly washing your hands, getting the newest, most up-to-date vaccinations, and gathering outside or in a ventilated space if the weather is nice.

“If you guys are going to be outside a lot, that’s a whole lot better,” Igobokwe said. “But if you’re going to be indoors, those cute little HEPA filters, and I saw them at Costco,”

She also recommends that adults 60 or older get the new RSV vaccine.

For Tega Cay resident Sara Anderson, the last thing on her list this holiday season is a trip to the emergency room. Every year, she and her children indulge in the three holiday F’s: food, family, and football.

“We gorge out on yummy food, and to work that off, we come out here and play family football,” Anderson said.

She says she plans to eat well, wash her hands regularly, and take vitamins. The most important step in her plan is prioritizing her physical and mental health.

“I’m looking forward to time off from work and spending that time with my family and friends,” Anderson said.

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