Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "Respiratory season is certainly in full swing right now," local physician Dr. Joseph Chow told WBEN on Friday. "We're seeing a mixed bag with flu leading the way."
The Medical Director of Western New York Immediate Care said his team
is also seeing Covid as well as pneumonia, strep throat and RSV.
"There's a lot of overlap now." he said. "The days where you could say this is absolutely the flu, are over. Fever and achiness could also be Covid, strep throat or pneumonia. You have to do testing to know for sure."
It's fairly common, he added, to feel sick for several weeks with any of these respiratory illnesses.
For some, however, the symptoms may linger for weeks, or reoccur.
"For most of these viruses, people will get better on their own. But you can still have lasting effects, such as a cough, for up to 14 days after an illness," noted Chow. "It's not uncommon to have a cough that lingers, but you should, otherwise, be feeling better. If the cough is associated with other things, such as a fever or shortness of breath, then it should be checked out," he said.
Dr. Chow also discussed a condition known as "double worsening."
"If you get sick and then seem to get better, and then get worse again, and the second time it's actually worse than the initial symptoms, we call it double worsening. That's when you should get looked at again. You can develop another infection on top of the first one that you're getting over."
When will all of this illness be peaking? "Soon," answered Chow.
"With the holiday season just ending, we're seeing a high volume of respiratory illnesses. We should expect that to continue for the next few weeks. Kids are back to school and college kids will be back in a few weeks,
so I think we will continue to see these high levels, at the very least, through the month of January."
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