According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke.

Dr. Roberto Alejandro Cruz, a neurologist with DHR Health, says there’s been a spike in patients 30 years and older who suffered from strokes since the start of the year.

Cruz said living with chronic health issues like cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, makes you vulnerable to suffering a stroke.

Doctors say adding a COVID-19 diagnosis in the mix puts people at an even greater risk. Cruz says people need to know how to identify the signs of a stroke more than ever.

“When somebody is trying to say something and they can’t,” he says. “Or maybe they’re trying, [but] it’s not coming out right.”

According to the CDC, the most common signs of a stroke are numbness in the arms or legs on one side of the body, face drooping, and dizziness.

Cruz said if you’re taking care of your health by eating right, taking your medication, following up with your doctor, and exercising, you’ll decrease the likelihood of having a stroke.