Incidents of COVID and the flu are increasing in Montgomery County as are visits to urgent care and emergency rooms.
The rates are the highest they have been since about this time last year, according to Sean O’Donnell, acting deputy chief of public health for the county. “At almost every age group, they are going up right now. We expect that to continue for another few weeks,” he said during County Executive Marc Elrich’s weekly media briefing.
Currently, there are 5.6 hospital admissions for patients with COVID for every 100,000 county residents, which is considered low.
Besides COVID, incidents of the flu “are continuing to climb,” which is common in January and February, he said.
Also considered low are the number of residents getting COVID vaccinations. “It’s not anywhere near what we’ve seen in previous years,” according to O’Donnell.
County officials recommend people of all ages get the COVID vaccine and stay isolated when respiratory symptoms occur.
Not spreading germs “is the best gift you can give someone,” added County Health Officer Kisha Davis.
