RSV, flu, COVID cases on the rise in Southern California

COVID/flu with RSV cases rising

Southern California is seeing an uptick in COVID or flu paired with RSV cases. Here's how to tell the difference and what you can do.

LOS ANGELES - Southern California is seeing an uptick in COVID-19/flu and RSV cases, according to health officials.

JN.1, the latest COVID variant, makes up more than 44% of all new COVID-19 cases in the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. It's the most contagious of all the variants. However, it comes with milder symptoms.

It may spread easier or be better at evading our immune systems, but there is no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials say. And current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus is a common cause of mild coldlike symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and older people.

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Health experts says the best way to prevent these illnesses and reduce the chance of severe disease is to get vaccinated.

CDC data shows 43.7% of the U.S. population have received the flu vaccine, 17% of adults 60 and older have received an RSV vaccine and only 18.5% of adults in the U.S. have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

As for flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn’t cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.