A ‘triple epidemic’ of Covid, flu and RSV this winter could be on the horizon, health officials have warned.
Although the spread of the respiratory viruses is currently low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is starting to see an increase in the number of positive Covid tests and Covid-related emergency room visits. The number of Covid hospital admissions is also increasing.
Flu activity, while currently low, is “likely to increase in the fall and winter,” the CDC said in an update posted yesterday. The same applies to RSV, the report said.
And for the first time, people can be vaccinated against all three viruses, pPublic health officials are urging people to avoid another tripledemic like last year, when hospitals were flooded.
Doctors hope enough people get vaccinated to prevent another “triple epidemic” like last year, when hospitals were overwhelmed by an early flu season, a bout of RSV, the respiratory syncytial virus, and another winter wave of the coronavirus.
RSV infections cause approximately two million doctor visits, 80,000 hospitalizations and up to 300 deaths in children under five each year, according to the CDC.
Covid hospitalizations have been rising since late summer, although – thanks to some lingering immunity from previous vaccinations and infections – not nearly as much as this time last year
Flu activity, while currently low, is “likely to increase in the fall and winter,” the CDC said in an update posted yesterday
The majority of Americans only need to consider whether they should get the updated Covid vaccine and a flu shot, as these are available to almost everyone.
About 76.5 million adults aged 60 and over are also eligible for a new RSV vaccine from Pfizer or GSK.
Last year, many pediatric and adult hospitals were completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of tripledemic infections.
The increase not only occurred at a faster pace, but also well ahead of the typical seasonal peak.
It was the worst flu season America has seen since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. At one point in December 2022, co-infections left hospitals fuller than at any time during the pandemic.
A boy in Ohio was hospitalized in October 2022 after contracting three respiratory viruses at once.
Wilder Jackson, 2, of Middletown – just 30 miles north of Cincinnati – battled rhinovirus, enterovirus and adenovirus at the same time.
The three common cold viruses became increasingly serious for children after the lockdown, after social restrictions left many with weakened immune systems.
Wilder Jackson, 2, of Middletown, Ohio, was hospitalized after being infected with rhinovirus, enterovirus and adenovirus at the same time
Experts pointed to lockdowns, mask mandates and other pandemic orders over the past two years as reasons why this year’s flu season has been more brutal than the previous one.
The flu does not pose a danger to the majority of Americans, but it can affect the elderly, young children and people with weakened immune systems.
RSV does not pose much danger to adults, but it can cause serious illness or even death in young children.
RSV infections cause approximately two million doctor visits, 80,000 hospitalizations and up to 300 deaths in children under five each year, according to the CDC.
Officials report that about 300 to 500 children will die from the virus each year.
About a third of the population gets RSV in any season, but for most adults it won’t be anything more serious than cold symptoms.
The CDC on Tuesday approved updated vaccines to tackle new variants, such as Eris and BA.2.86, that are responsible for the rise in US Covid cases and hospitalizations.
Even Americans who have never had a Covid shot are eligible for the new booster.
But the appetite for more Covid vaccines is waning. Nearly six in 10 Americans over 65 failed to get last year’s bivalent booster shot, and experts believe even fewer will emerge once the newly formulated Covid vaccines are on the market.
Covid hospitalizations have risen since late summer, although – thanks to some lingering immunity from previous vaccinations and infections – not nearly as much as this time last year.
Data from the CDC showed that 18,871 patients were admitted to hospitals nationwide in the last week of August, a nine percent increase from the previous seven-day period.
Despite the increase, interest rates remain historically low. By comparison, at the height of the pandemic in January 2021, there were 150,000 Covid admissions per week, and a week earlier this year hospital admissions reached as high as 44,000.
But protection wanes over time, and the coronavirus is constantly spawning new variants that can evade previous immunity.
In addition, testing for Covid has largely been scrapped, while testing for flu and RSV is not carried out regularly.