On December 14, CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory to healthcare providers and public health officials highlighting the increased respiratory disease activity occurring in the U.S. The HAN noted that low vaccination rates for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV could lead to more severe disease and a strained healthcare system for the rest of the season.
Asthma is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. This makes the airways swollen and very sensitive. They tend to react strongly to certain substances that are breathed in.
COPD is a serious lung disease that over time makes it hard to breathe. Its official name is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, but COPD has other names, like emphysema or chronic bronchitis.