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Health officials say respiratory illnesses up in Lexington

LFCHD spokesman Kevin Hall says vaccinations for the flu, COVID and RSV are safe and effective.
LFCHD
LFCHD spokesman Kevin Hall says vaccinations for the flu, COVID and RSV are safe and effective.

Respiratory illnesses like COVID, the flu and RSV are on the rise in Lexington. Lexington-Fayette County Health Department spokesman Kevin Hall said the flu is a particular concern.

“After those holidays and the start of the year, we had 204 confirmed cases of the flu and 222 confirmed cases of flu. And if you want a point of comparison, we had 188 total in the five weeks prior.”

Hall said COVID and RSV cases have jumped, too, and attributes the spikes to a post-pandemic lowering of the guard.

“People have gotten maybe a little bit too relaxed. They are not staying home when they're sick. They're not washing their hands as frequently. They're not paying attention to their surroundings, and I'm going to use that M word – they're not masking up.”

Hall said vaccinations for the flu, COVID and RSV are safe and effective. He notes that RSV can be life-threatening for small children.

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John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience.
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