\n\t\tDiscover more local reporting on our homepage\t<\/a><\/p>\nPIX11 spoke with Dr. David Knecht, the chief medical officer at Emblem Health, about why there is such an unusual spike in cases at this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are changing their behavior,\u201d said Dr. Knecht. \u201cThey\u2019re spending more time indoors, congregating, less time in outdoor settings, and hence increasing the spread of these viruses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health officials say the uptick in COVID-19 cases is not isolated to the five boroughs. Similar increases are reported statewide. People who have medical problems such as diabetes and heart disease are more at risk for serious repercussions of respiratory problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe older you are, the higher the risk because as people get older, their immune system gets worn down a bit. So it\u2019s more important to get the vaccine and stay safe,\u201d said Dr. Knecht.<\/p>\n
A new COVID-19 vaccine, as well as one for the flu, are being recommended to reduce the risk of a poor health outcome. The symptoms for concern should be quite apparent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf having a fever, chills, night sweats, or coughing, they\u2019re signs you might have a virus\u201d said Dr. Knecht.\u00a0 \u201cSpeak to a doctor and get tested for COVID-19 or the flu. All at the same time, mask up and stay away from people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the current COVID-19 cases reported in our area, 12 have resulted in deaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMask up if you\u2019re feeling sick or you are around other individuals in tight quarters like subways. Practice good hand hygiene, and if you\u2019re sick, please stay at home,\u201d said Dr. Knecht.<\/p>\n
Medical experts stress that staying updated with vaccines remains the most effective defence against seasonal viruses. The latest COVID-19 vaccines and flu shots are available without a prescription at most local pharmacies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (PIX11) \u2014 The summer is over, and next up is flu season, but your symptoms could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10],"class_list":["post-357723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}