The respiratory season is now underway, and the Middlesex London Health Unit are prepared to take this season head on.
The MLHU are beginning their first steps with weekly respiratory reports, to make sure Londoners are staying healthy and safe.
“As we enter the beginning of November, we are entering a higher risk period for respiratory illnesses and our surveillance is starting to demonstrate that.” says Medical Officer of Health for the MLHU Dr. Alex Summers.
“As we face colder weather and spend more and more time indoors, the risk of respiratory disease transmission goes up, so it’s really important to take certain steps to protect yourself.”
Respiratory Risk Assessment
Credit: Middlesex-London Health Unit
Dr. Summers talks about what he’s noticed in the city of London, after their first report had finished.
“COVID rates continue to be relatively high as they have been throughout the summer and were starting to see early signs of influenza.”
“We also know that there’s other viruses and bacteria that can cause respiratory illness, and we’re seeing an increasing number of presentations to emergency departments with people who have respiratory illness.”
Dr. Summers continues to talk about why these reports are so important.
“After the pandemic, interest from our community in the transmission rates of respiratory viruses and bacteria has gone up.
“We recognize that people find this information very helpful in understanding what the risk might be for them and for their family. It helps drive home the importance of taking certain actions to protect yourselves.”
Emergency Department visits statistics
Credit: Middlesex-London Health Unit
The reports give the MLHU a chance to highlight to people the many reasons why these reports help the city of London.
“The risk that we saw in the early days of the pandemic and through those first few years from COVID-19, is different now. COVID is still a severe virus that can cause severe illness, particularly against those that have underlying health conditions or who don’t have any immune protection.”
“What is protecting our population generally is most of us have been vaccinated, at least at some point in the last few years, or we’ve also had COVID, which means there’s some degree of immunity amongst all of us, but that doesn’t mean the risk isn’t there anymore.”
There are many reasons why these weekly reports are important for the community, but what can Londoners do going forward to make sure they stay healthy and safe?
“Get vaccinated where you can. COVID and influenza, We have a vaccine, and there’s some people that are eligible for the R.S.V. vaccines or immunizations, and they should get them as well.”
“You need to wash your hands regularly. If you’re feeling unwell, it’s really important that you stay at home until you’re feeling better and wear a mask for the 10 days after your symptoms develop in order to limit the transmission to others. That’s how we protect our community and protect each other. ”
The weekly reports are updated and revised weekly every Tuesday and will have the following information in each report: cases, deaths, new outbreaks, emergency department visits and hospital bed occupancy for COVID, Influenza and RSV patients.
