NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Respiratory viruses impact everyone differently -- some may miss a few days of work, while others face a long recovery, reported USA Today on Wednesday, adding certain risk factors can make people more vulnerable to getting very sick from COVID-19, flu and RSV.
"To stay healthy, people at high risk and their loved ones should take precautions, whether they're an active senior staying up to date on their shots or a pregnant person getting vaccinated to protect their unborn baby. Vaccines are your best defense against getting very sick," noted the report.
There are five key risk factors that one has to know: age; chronic conditions such as heart and lung disease, obesity, asthma, diabetes and kidney disease; weakened immune function; pregnancy; and vaccination status, according to the report.
"While millions of Americans get sick with respiratory viruses each year, vaccines can help keep you from being among the hundreds of thousands who need hospital care because of serious illness. Vaccines help reduce the risk of severe illness from COVID-19, flu and RSV, protecting both high-risk individuals and entire communities," it noted.
