The fall season is going to see a major increase in seasonal illnesses as common illnesses, like cold and flu, spread in combination with emergent illnesses like COVID-19 and other upper respiratory illnesses like RSV.

Whether it is at your child’s school, at the office or workplace, or just during your normal day, the risk of seasonal illnesses is extremely high as the weather cools down. Contrary to popular belief, illnesses rise as more people spend time indoors which makes it much easier for illnesses and viruses to spread. It is not so much the weather being cold but rather everyone will likely congregate indoors to avoid the chilly season.

Whenever you begin to experience seasonal illness symptoms, it helps to visit an urgent care center like AFC Urgent Care Centennial. Our urgent care center is also equipped with a walk-in clinic that allows a patient to get treatment and testing without the need for an appointment.

Here is a list of the most common upper respiratory illnesses this fall that are all treatable at an urgent care center:

Common cold is likely one of the most infectious illnesses this season

The common cold, also known as a rhinovirus, is frequently the most infectious illness seasonally during the fall. Common colds cannot be vaccinated against and just as easy to spread as other illnesses.

Common colds lead to known symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and others. Patients that have a common cold should wait at home, rest, hydrate, and treat symptoms with over-the-counter medicine (OTC). Common cold symptoms start rough but usually lessen in severity by the third day or sooner.

Influenza and COVID-19 continue to impact seasonal health

Influenza or “the flu” affects millions of people each year with most cases and provider visits happening during the fall season.

Influenza has multiple variants that mutate each season which means that a new vaccine or “flu shot” is required. Providers strongly encourage patients to get their seasonal flu shot as early as possible to avoid risks. When patients become infected with the flu it leads to prolonged cold-like symptoms such as congestion, headache, fever, sneezing, sore throat, and more. Flu symptoms tend to be more severe than symptoms from the common cold.

COVID-19 is now in an “endemic” period where the virus is no longer the major global threat it once was, but leads to highly debilitating symptoms for patients that get sick. COVID vaccines are now available for patients that need to get seasonal immunizations. Initial COVID vaccines helped to reduce the global impact of COVID-19 and current vaccines help to reduce the spread of the virus. Symptoms of COVID-19 are also like cold and flu but likely to lead to major fatigue, congestion, fever, nausea, coughing, sore throat, and other similar effects.

RSV is rising and urgent care is a great option for testing

Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is a recently emergent illness that has led to an increase in provider visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. While most RSV cases lead to mild seasonal illness symptoms there is a need to get same-day testing and immediate care.

Patients that visit AFC Urgent Care Centennial are able to get RSV testing on the same day as their visit. Simply go into our walk-in clinic and our provider team will test and help coordinate RSV treatment ASAP.