CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky 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.

The CDC director said the agency is considering expanding its system of COVID community levels to take into account other respiratory viruses such as the flu. The system is the basis for when CDC advises the public to wear masks.

Walensky encouraged people to take proactive action, saying, “One need not wait on CDC action in order to put a mask on. 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.”

The CDC continues to recommend masking for anyone travelling by plane, train, bus or other forms of public transportation.

People with weak immune systems and those who otherwise face a heightened risk of severe disease should also consider wearing a mask.

Walensky strongly encouraged everyone eligible to receive their flu shot and COVID booster. She said flu vaccination coverage is lagging for at-risk groups — children under age 5, pregnant women, and at-risk seniors — compared with last year. There is no vaccine for RSV.

In New York State, 27,000 cases of the flu were reported during Thanksgiving week. This is compared with a then-record-breaking 2019-20 season had a peak of about 17,000 cases in its worst week.

The 27,000 cases in the week ending November 26 had already spiked 76% from the week prior. During that same period, the number of patients hospitalized statewide with lab-confirmed flu was 1,499, a 67% increase over the prior week.