Health officials are urging community members to take precautions over the holidays as COVID-19 and flu cases are on the rise.
COVID-19 cases are up 47% in Tompkins County according to their most recent announcement. But Tompkins County Whole Health Medical Director Doctor William Klepak said it’s not a unique issue.
“Tompkins County is seeing the same sort of trend that central New York and the state of New York is seeing with regard to COVID infections and flu infections and we are seeing decided increases in both of those over the recent weeks,” Klepka said.
And while case numbers are up, Onondaga County Medical Director Doctor James Alexander says vaccination rates for flu and COVID remain low.
“As bad as influenza vaccine numbers are, COVID vaccine numbers are worse,” Alexander said. “We’re probably somewhere in the 17-18% of people who are eligible for a vaccination against COVID-19 have been vaccinated.”
Alexander said while they may not fully prevent patients from contracting the diseases they effectively reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from the disease.
Klepak and Alexander urge community members to remember the fundamentals of prevention.
“Cough into your sleeve and wash your hands and try to maintain distancing as possible,” Alexander said.
Klepak said it’s all part of the season.
“We’re into the month of December and the turning into the new year when there are a lot of celebratory gatherings, a lot of families getting together and when we get closer together viruses take that opportunity to spread from one to another of us,” Klepak said.
