Simple ways to keep respiratory illnesses away

SALT LAKE CITY — Respiratory illnesses such as the flu, COVID-19, and RSV are on the rise across the U.S.

Let’s Get Moving with Maria Host Maria Shilaos spoke with Nicole Henry, district leader and pharmacist at CVS, to learn what the health trends look like in Utah and what we can do to stay healthy.

Below is a partial transcript of this interview as well as the full podcast.

---

KSL NewsRadio edited the following transcript for brevity and clarity.

SHILAOS: How are we doing here in Utah when it comes to respiratory illnesses?

HENRY: We are definitely seeing cases increase of respiratory illnesses, and it’s very important for our patients to be protected. It’s not too late to receive immunizations to be protected from these illnesses and prevent hospitalization.

SHILAOS: What are some of the myths about respiratory illnesses?

HENRY: A lot of patients don’t think they need to receive a vaccination because they think that the flu, RSV, [and] COVID-19 are always going to be mild. Well, that’s not always the case for all patients. Patients can end up in the hospital because they might have a more severe version of the illness, and there’s a lot of different types of strains circulating when it comes to COVID-19 and flu, and our vaccines that are available are going to cover the most prevalent types of strains for those seasons.

Ways to prevent respiratory illnesses

SHILAOS: Talk to us about the importance of being vaccinated and what that vaccine really does.

HENRY: All of them are actually inactivated vaccines. They’re not live viruses whatsoever… There is a little bit of vaccine hesitancy out there, but it’s still recommended because it’s going to prevent severe illness. It’s going to prevent hospitalizations, especially in our older adult population and in our young adult populations as well.

SHILAOS: Talk about the role of antibiotics and antiviral medications.

HENRY: It is a common myth out there that if people have [the] flu, COVID, RSV, [or] pneumonia, that antibiotics may be the first line of therapy for viruses. That is not the first line of therapy. It is not going to help our patients because antibiotics do not work against viruses… When it comes to … antiviral therapies, Paxlovid and Tamiflu [are] absolutely recommended to take at the very first sign of illness, and that way they can lessen severe illness. They don’t prevent illness altogether, but they can definitely prevent hospitalizations.

SHILAOS: What can we do to prevent getting sick from respiratory illnesses?

HENRY: Hand hygiene is very important. So hand washing, sometimes singing the song “Happy Birthday” twice. That is the amount of time that we should be washing our hands. Many people are probably not taking that long for hand washing, and it is recommended that we increase the length for hand washing. Also social distancing, staying home while sick [and] getting adequate rest are very important. And then also a healthy diet and exercise will all contribute to staying healthy during this respiratory illness season.

Listen to the podcast below for the full interview.

 

Read more from the Let’s Get Moving podcast:

• What is adaptive resistance exercise?
• Small changes to get the year off to a healthy start
• Prolonged sitting may increase your risk for heart disease

Let’s Get Moving with Maria releases new episodes on Mondays. Follow the podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and wherever you listen to podcasts.