Best ways to stay healthy this holiday from an infectious disease expert

Hospitals throughout the Triangle are seeing a rare surge of respiratory viruses including the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19.

WRAL 5 On Your Side spoke to Kenneth Johnson, who held his son our of school for the day.

"He’s just hanging out with daddy in the office, just staying out of school," Johnson said. "It seems like everyone is sick and once they get over it, they go back to school and it recirculates again."

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Dr. Emily Sickbert-Bennett is the director of infection prevention at UNC Hospitals.

"In the 19 years that I’ve worked here at UNC Hospitals, besides COVID, I can’t remember another time that we’ve had to open a unit like this for other respiratory viruses," Sickbert-Bennett said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of people going to the hospital with the flu hasn’t been this high, this early in the season, since 2009.

With so many of you planning visits with family and friends for the holidays, Sickbert-Bennett discussed the best ways to stay healthy.

Sickbert-Bennett said o ne way is as easy as turning back to something many of us gave up.

"A great way to just block that transmission is for you to wear a mask around people who are sick," Sickbert-Bennett said.

While it’s a tough decision, if you feel sick, consider sitting Thanksgiving out.

"Perhaps it’s even harder for us now, because we missed so many things that there’s this, reluctance to ever cancel things again, and miss out on that fun," she said.

Sickbert-Bennett said to think back to other COVID protocols too: Wash your hands for 30 seconds or longer and practice social distancing.

Johnson said his family got used to keeping their distance from others during the pandemic.

"Just keeping our distance other than the people we are around," Johnson said.

The flu vaccine and COVID booster can also help keep you out of the hospital. If you don’t have them yet, getting them could help with immunity by the time Christmas-time rolls around.