With a surge of respiratory viruses in the province, an infectious disease expert is cautioning people about attending get-togethers while sick.

COVID-19, RSV and more notably influenza are all in circulation and resulting in hospitalizations across the country.

The very young and seniors are most susceptible to complications of respiratory viruses.

Dr. Lisa Barrett, a Newfoundlander who is an infectious disease specialist and researcher at Dalhousie University, says this year is not the year to brush off cold-like symptoms and head out.

She says there’s often that pressure from family and friends to say, don’t worry about that runny nose, we want to see you anyway. “Probably not the season to do that…if you’re sick, stay home,” says Barrett.

She suggests if people can’t come, spread your gatherings out over a few days. “We really don’t want to see our seniors and our very young kids going to hospital with preventable disease.”