CHARLESTON S.C. (WCBD)—On Tuesday morning, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control will conduct a review committee to discuss efforts to improve healthcare facilities and services due to the rise of seasonal viruses.
The state’s health planning committee will discuss several topics for improving healthcare quality, such as creating more cleaning stations in facilities, advocating for more people to get vaccines, and updating medical equipment.
Doctors say the Flu has spiked up this year and has also contributed to the increase in influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory infection.
The viruses target people with underlying health conditions such as heart, lung, and unvaccinated diseases. Last week, 98 people across the state died from the Flu.
Dr. Linda Bell is encouraging people who aren’t vaccinated to get vaccinated and, if sick, get tested to prevent the spread of a potential virus.
“We want people to be aware that you may be experiencing milder symptoms but to understand you might have the flu, COVID and that you can transmit an infection to someone else when you believe you have seasonal allergies, so it’s important to get tested when you have symptoms you’re not a custom to or sometimes to symptoms your use to having when you have a runny nose a cough we encourage people to get tested to make sure that they don’t have one of these viruses,” said Dr. Linda Bell a director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control.