HOUSTON – COVID
A new coronavirus subvariant is now the fastest-growing strain of the virus. The CDC says JN.1 is now causing about 20% of new COVID-19 infections across the country.
Here in Houston, the health department says COVID is slightly up from the previous week and the trend remains steady.
FLU AND RSV
The flu is also going up, as it has been for four weeks now. While luckily, RSV is down for the sixth straight week.
Kelsey-Seybold, which has clinics across the entire Houston area, says all of their pediatricians are battling respiratory viral illnesses right now. But, they confirm RSV is trending down among the young age group.
Hospitals in northern China have been overwhelmed with sick children as the country grapples with a surge in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia. Houston pediatricians assure us they can handle the local surge of viruses, but warn it puts kids at risk for secondary bacterial cases of pneumonia.
MENTAL HEALTH
The expectations about what holidays should look like, and with days shorter, darker and colder; it’s creating a need for more people to seek counseling, according to Audrey Omenson.
“I’d say, if you’re noticing it’s intense, difficult most days to get through the day and the intensity is lasting more than a couple weeks, that’s a good sign to speak with a counselor,” Omenson advises.
She said the most important thing to remember, especially if you’re battling depression or suffering from grief this holiday, is that no emotions are permanent.
“No emotion is permanent. It’s a double-edged sword because it means emotions that feel good will change too but the very nature of emotions is they shift, and they change. So, we can be going through seasons where things are heavy and hard for a long time, but that’s not permanent.”