Once again, the time has come for seasonal illnesses to rear their ugly heads in the spirit of the holidays. But this year, the annual spike in respiratory virus cases has come even earlier — and Michigan hospitals are feeling the impact. According to Dr. Preeti N. Malani, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Michigan, influenza hospitalizations are high across much of the U.S.
“November hospitalizations are really the highest that anyone can remember. And that's concerning,” said Malani. “We don't know if we're going to hit the peak early and it's going to come back down. You know, is this just the early season, or is this the beginning of a massive wave?”
In addition to cold and flu, cases of RSV and COVID-19 have contributed to hospital bed shortages. On today’s Stateside podcast, we spoke with Dr. Malani about the potential reasons behind the spike in these illnesses and what Michiganders can do to protect themselves and their families.
GUEST:
Dr. Preeti N. Malani, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Michigan Medicine
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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.
