(Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday issued an alert urging healthcare providers to increase immunization coverage for influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The health regulator said that low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in respiratory disease activity, could lead to more severe disease and increased healthcare capacity strain in the coming weeks.
Healthcare providers should recommend antiviral medications for influenza and COVID-19 for all eligible patients, especially older adults and people with certain underlying medical condition, the CDC said.
In the past four weeks, hospitalizations among all age groups increased by 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV, according to CDC data.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh; Editing by Maju Samuel)
