TEXAS, USA — COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are continuing to decrease nationwide and in East Texas, but with Spring Break and Easter coming up, health officials say they expect the number of cases to rise again.
That's because these are both typically large events and "fewer people are being tested," Dr. Tom Cummins, Chief Medical Officer at UT Health East Texas said.
Dr. Cummins recommends everyone follow the CDC guidelines and to wear a mask in areas with high-spread levels.
He says it's not just COVID-19 that people should be cautious of right now. The Chief Medical Officer says at this moment, health officials are seeing common cold symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, etc., "which can seem an awful lot like COVID".
Cummins says if you test negative for COVID-19, it's "probably on others," such as the common cold, strep throat, the flu, etc.
"We've had a pretty pretty good spike in the flu over the last couple of weeks across community both in adults and children," Cummins said. "Gastrointestinal viruses, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea" are also typical this time of year.
Cummins says the number of flu cases is higher now in Texas than in recent years, He recommends people wash their hands frequently and to stay home when feeling sick.
As of right now, Dr. Cummins says the most common COVID-19 variant is still the highly-contagious Omicron, but there is a new variant. BA.2 is circulating around parts of the country.