State health officials urged Californians on Wednesday to take steps to protect themselves from circulating viruses this winter, including the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus.
State residents are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID and the flu if they are eligible and seek treatment for either virus if necessary.
Those who are sick are also encouraged to stay home and wear a mask indoors, particularly to protect children from RSV, for which there is no vaccine.
"We are seeing stress on our clinics and hospitals that care for kids, especially infants and kids under 12," state public health officer and California Department of Public Health director Dr. Tomas Aragon said in a statement. "It's important to remember that kids get infected from other kids and adults, so everyone needs to do their part."
Flu and COVID vaccines are available to everyone age 6 months and older.
More information about how to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses this winter can be found at cdph.ca.gov.
