WACO, Texas — Flu and covid cases have spiked recently.
As many people head back to work, medical professionals warn people to get tested if they do not feel good.
KXXV spoke with one doctor about detecting the illness you may have to get the right treatment.
Tierica Carr wasn’t feeling good around Christmas.
Carr said “I started off really just having a bad headache, a real bad headache. Like I couldn’t even walk in HEB it was so bad, my grandmother thought it was sinuses but turned out to be covid because I also thought it was strep.”
Carr did not chance it with self-diagnosis, she went to the doctor, and she ended up having COVID.
With 113 million Americans traveling over the 2022 holidays, sicknesses are spreading.
If you traveled during the holidays and aren’t feeling 100 percent, doctors recommend getting tested.
Dr. David Winter with Baylor Scott & White said “there’s a good medication to treat influenza, but it doesn’t work against COVID. There’s a good medication to work against covid, but don’t work for influenza, so getting the diagnosis correct is important and the symptoms tend to overlap.”
Dr. Winter says both flu and covid cases are spiking.
Increasing the need for you to know what illness you have.
“Testing’s important when you can, now you can get over-the-counter COVID test, those work the rapid test," Winter said.
"A lot of doctor’s offices can test for that and influenza so if there’s a question get a test because then we can have specific treatment to help you get well quicker."
