The Centers for Disease Control Prevention on Monday encouraged people to wear masks to help reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses this season as Covid, flu and RSV circulate at the same time.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, in a call with reporters, said wearing a mask is one of several everyday precautions that people can take to reduce their chances of catching or spreading a respiratory virus during the busy holiday season.
“We also encourage you to wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses,” Walensky said, particularly for people living in areas with high levels of Covid transmission.
The CDC director said the agency is considering expanding its system of Covid community levels to include other respiratory viruses such as the flu. The system is the basis for when CDC advises the public to wear masks. But Walensky encouraged the public to take proactive action.
“One need not wait on CDC action in order to put a mask on,” Walensky said. “We would encourage all of those preventive measures — hand washing, staying home when you’re sick, masking, increased ventilation — during respiratory virus season, but especially in areas of high Covid-19 community levels.”
About 5% of the U.S. population lives in counties where the CDC is officially recommending masks due to high Covid levels. The CDC continues to recommend masking for anyone travelling by plane, train, bus or other forms of public transportation, Walensky said.
Those with weak immune systems or face a heightened risk of severe disease should also consider wearing a mask, the CDC director said.
Walensky strongly encouraged everyone eligible to receive their flu shot and Covid booster. Flu vaccination coverage is lagging for at-risk groups — children under age 5, pregnant women, and at-risk seniors — compared with last year, the CDC director said. There is no vaccine for RSV.
The flu arrived early and hit the U.S. hard with hospitalizations at a decade high for this time of year. More than 8.7 million people have fallen ill, 78,000 have been hospitalized, and 4,500 people have died from flu so far this season, according to CDC data. More than 19,000 people were hospitalized with the flu during the week ending Nov. 26, nearly double the previous week.
People hospitalized with Covid also increased 27% during the week ending Dec. 2, according to CDC data. Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, has also been hospitalizing children at higher rate than in previous years. Walensky said RSV appears to have peaked in the Southeast and may be leveling off in the Mid-Atlantic.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
