In the winter months, it seems few are safe from some kind of illness — flu, COVID-19, norovirus, colds. While many of the germs that cause this misery can circulate throughout the year, scientists think that the winter surge of flu and cold activity may be because we spend more time indoors and the cold,

Infections of respiratory illnesses are on the rise, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease and Prevention. A map created by the CDC of Respiratory Illness Activity in each state shows that diagnoses in New York are high and continuing to grow.

It may be difficult to make it through the season unscathed, there are some things you can do to protect yourself.

It’s sick season in Philly: the cold-weather months when cases of respiratory illnesses and the “stomach bug” norovirus rise. Some public health experts have called the combination of viruses circulating “the quad-demic” — referring to a wave of illness from the simultaneous spike in COVID,