KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — This week, Tennessee doctors are seeing an uptick in patients with influenza.
"It's not a big surge yet, but it's still very early in the influenza season," said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "We're seeing flu cases, some of which need hospitalizations."
He recommended people who begin feeling symptomatic get a flu test in addition to a COVID-19 test.
"Influenza is waking up out there," he said. "We're concerned that we will have a surge of COVID and a surge of flu more or less at the same time."
The Centers for Disease Control said Tennessee is one of seven states with a 'high' or 'very high' level of flu activity as of December 27.
Of course, COVID-19 is also a concern with cases similarly rising as the omicron variant spreads.
To prevent hospitalizations for COVID-19, internal medicine Dr. R. Michael Green said there five things you can do.
"First is our behavior, what we choose to do with what with our lives," he said. "Secondly, we can get tested."
He also emphasized the importance of vaccinations and booster shots, even for those who have recovered from COVID-19.
"Usually somewhere between three, six months, nine months, your body needs to be reminded how to fight COVID," he said.
If you do get sick, there are treatments that can help keep you out of the hospital.
"Four, there's some antibodies that can help once you've been exposed or already started getting sick," Dr. Green said. "And then lastly, there's a new addition of an oral medication that can potentially help once you already are infected."
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, roughly 16,000 people a week are getting tested for COVID-19 right now.
That's roughly half as many tests as we saw during the September surge.