{"id":48600,"date":"2022-12-08T06:50:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T11:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=48600"},"modified":"2022-12-08T06:50:12","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T11:50:12","slug":"cdc-encourages-masking-to-reduce-spread-of-covid-flu-and-rsv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/cdc-encourages-masking-to-reduce-spread-of-covid-flu-and-rsv\/","title":{"rendered":"CDC Encourages Masking to Reduce Spread of COVID, Flu, and RSV"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"48601\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/cdc-encourages-masking-to-reduce-spread-of-covid-flu-and-rsv\/cdc\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?fit=600%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"600,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"CDC\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?fit=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?fit=600%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-48601\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?resize=376%2C188&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"376\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>The <strong>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/strong> is encouraging people to wear masks to help reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses this season as <strong>COVID<\/strong>, <strong>flu<\/strong> and <strong>RSV<\/strong> circulate at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>CDC Director Dr. <strong>Rochelle Walensky<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Walensky encouraged people to take proactive action, saying, &#8220;One need not wait on CDC action in order to put a mask on. We would encourage all of those preventive measures \u2014 hand washing, staying home when you&#8217;re sick, masking, increased ventilation \u2014 during respiratory virus season, but especially in areas of high COVID-19 community levels.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The CDC continues to recommend masking for anyone travelling by plane, train, bus or other forms of public transportation.<\/p>\n<p>People with weak immune systems and those who otherwise face a heightened risk of severe disease should also consider wearing a mask.<\/p>\n<p>Walensky strongly encouraged everyone eligible to receive their flu shot and COVID booster. She said flu vaccination coverage is lagging for at-risk groups \u2014 children under age 5, pregnant women, and at-risk seniors \u2014 compared with last year. There is no vaccine for RSV.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging 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 Dr. Rochelle Walensky said wearing a mask is one of several everyday precautions that people can take to reduce their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":48601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[371,9930,868,12568,10854,12403],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CDC.jpg?fit=600%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-cDS","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47471,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/cdc-recommends-new-omicron-boosters-for-kids\/","url_meta":{"origin":48600,"position":0},"title":"CDC Recommends New Omicron Boosters for Kids","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"October 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the new omicron boosters for kids as young as age 5. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on the shots Wednesday, just hours after the Food and Drug Administration authorized them. Walensky made the swift decision without a meeting of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45110,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/fda-committee-approves-covid-19-vaccines-for-children-under-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":48600,"position":1},"title":"FDA Committee Approves COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Under 5","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"June 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of 5 have been approved by an FDA committee. The Food and Drug Administration's Advisory Committee approved amending the Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer\/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to expand to children ages six months through five years old. Next, the Food\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vaccine.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vaccine.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vaccine.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vaccine.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vaccine.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45167,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/cdc-approves-covid-19-vaccine-for-kids-6-months-5-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":48600,"position":2},"title":"CDC Approves COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids 6 Months-5 Years","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"June 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"NPR reports that providers across the country can start vaccinating kids ages 6 months to 5 years against COVID-19 as early as this week after regulators cleared the final authorization steps on Saturday. An independent panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Saturday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/vaccine.jpg?fit=500%2C333&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":47793,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/covid-flu-and-rsv-cases-on-the-rise-in-new-york-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":48600,"position":3},"title":"COVID, Flu, and RSV Cases on the Rise in New York State","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"October 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The New York State Department of Health is warning that COVID-19, Seasonal Flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus cases are rising in the state. Health officials say as respiratory virus infections spread this fall and are expected to continue through the winter, they're urging people to take steps to help stop\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42572,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/governor-hochul-lifts-business-mask-mandate-schools-must-continue-to-mask\/","url_meta":{"origin":48600,"position":4},"title":"Governor Hochul Lifts Business Mask Mandate, Schools Must Continue to Mask","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"February 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Governor Kathy Hochul has officially lifted the statewide business \"mask or vax\" requirement. Hochul, making the announcement on Wednesday, said counties, cities and businesses can still choose to require masks. She said the decision was made based on overall COVID-19 cases being down, hospitalizations being down, and vaccines and booster\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Hochul-Mask-Mandate-Lifted-2-9-22.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Hochul-Mask-Mandate-Lifted-2-9-22.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Hochul-Mask-Mandate-Lifted-2-9-22.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Hochul-Mask-Mandate-Lifted-2-9-22.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41532,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-approved-as-booster-for-16-17-year-olds\/","url_meta":{"origin":48600,"position":5},"title":"Pfizer\/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Approved as Booster for 16-17 Year Olds","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"December 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Pfizer\/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been approved for use as a booster in 16 and 17-year olds. CNN reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending it for this age group. It's the first COVID-19 vaccine booster authorized for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pfizer-COVID-CNN.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pfizer-COVID-CNN.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pfizer-COVID-CNN.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pfizer-COVID-CNN.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Pfizer-COVID-CNN.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48600"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48600"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48603,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48600\/revisions\/48603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}