ST. LOUIS – As thousands of people head back to school and work from the holidays, there’s been a noticeable surge in winter respiratory illnesses, including RSV, flu, and COVID-19 cases in St. Louis City and County.
Flu cases are trending upward, almost vertically, and are 55% greater than the highest median value from the last five years. COVID hospitalizations are up 38% from December 2023. And data provided to the city health department by BJC HealthCare shows RSV cases are nearly 200% higher than the past four years over the same period.
As a result of this jump, the St. Louis City Department of Health on Thursday recommended people return to wearing face masks when going to indoor public spaces or other crowded areas.
Health officials are cautioning people to be wary of symptoms like coughing, fever, and fatigue and to stay home and get tested if those symptoms appear.
