In each of the past two years, Thanksgiving has helped to welcome some unwelcome guests: The devastating waves COVID-19.

Nobody thinks that this year will be any different to the two previous dark pandemic years, at least in terms of COVID-19. The country now faces a new threat: an unpredictable confluence between old and new respiratory pathogens.

We are facing an onslaught from three viruses: COVID (RSV), and influenza. All simultaneously,” says Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. This is a tripledemic.

Flu and RSV are back big time

The RSV respiratory syncytialvirus ( ) started surging unseasonably early in this year. It infected babies and young children with little or no immunity. This virus was not circulating as much in the past two years partly because of COVID-19 precautions.

RSV is still threatening pediatric emergency rooms and intensive-care units all across the country. Parents are often forced to wait for more than eight hours in emergency departments for their sick children.

Amy Knight is the president of the Children’s Hospital Association. She stated that “Intensive Care Units are at or above capacity at every children’s hospital within the United States right now.” It’s extremely, very frightening for parents.

A severe and unusually early flu season has begun. It is dominated by H3N2, which can often strike older people and children.

“Influenza is a new epidemic in the southeast United States. It has moved to the Southwest. Schaffner states that it is moving up the East Coast and into Midwest with some fervor.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , flu hospitalizations are the highest for this time of the year from coast to coast.

“Flu activity in this area is high and continues to rise,” states Lynnette Brmmer, an epidemiologist at the CDC’s Influenza division. The good news is that the vaccines for this year are –matched with the viruses currently in circulation, so there’s still time to get vaccinated.

Now comes another Thanksgiving.

Schaffner states that holiday celebrations, with all the travel and close contact, often act as virus accelerators. We spend a lot time together. We are laughing and deeply breathing. This is the perfect environment for respiratory viruses to spread to other people.”

What will COVID do at this moment?

COVID-19 continues to infect thousands of people and kills hundreds every day. is being infected by new subvariants of the contagious micron. These are particularly effective at infecting people, even if they have been vaccinated.

Dr. Rubin says that there are many moving parts. David Rubin has been following the pandemic at PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

What does this mean for COVID?” Is there a significant January/February rebound in COVID? It may be possible.

Many infectious disease specialists believe that the immunity people have to infections and vaccinations should prevent any new COVID-19 infection from leading to an increase in hospitalizations or deaths.

“I am hopeful that, given the current COVID situation, we won’t be looking at another winter like last year. However, Mother Nature has the final say on all these matters,” Dr. Ashish Java, White House COVID-19 Coordinator told NPR.

He said, “We are in new territory here”, with three viruses all circulating at high levels simultaneously.

“I believe it’s really worrisome looking at the weeks ahead,” said Jennifer Nuzzo an epidemiologist who manages the Pandemic Center at Brown University.

Nuzzo is worried that an exhausted nation has forgotten many of the measures people took to protect themselves and their families. Flu vaccination rates have dropped by 10% to 15% compared to previous years. Only 11% of eligible people have had their flu vaccinations boosted.

She says, “We cannot just accept that it will happen regardless of what.” We can take steps to stop a rise of hospitalizations or deaths.

Experts Nuzzo and others say Americans can be vaccinated and given a booster vaccine, particularly if they are high-risk due to their age or other health issues.

People should consider Zooming to Thanksgiving in case they are ill, testing for COVID-19 prior to gatherings (especially those that involve older relatives or other vulnerable persons), and even putting on the mask as often as possible.

Dr. Tina Tan is an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern University Feinberg School. “If you don’t eat or drink it’s probably smart to protect the immunocompromised infants as well as the older members of the household,” she says.

There are signs that RSV could be already peaking. The flu could also peak before any COVID-19 surge. This would reduce the hospital pressure at least partially.

The possibility exists that RSV and flu could counter any COVID-19 surge the same way coronavirus has crowded out the viruses in recent years. A phenomenon called ” viral interference” is one possibility. This occurs when one virus reduces the chance of getting another.

Rubin states that COVID could be outcompeted. This is potentially good news.

Copyright 2022 NPR. Visit https://www.npr.org to see more.


Transcript:

MARY LOUISE KYELLY, HOST, TALK: This holiday season, three viruses are instead of one. Rob Stein, NPR’s health correspondent, gives us an update on the potential for a tripledemic.

ROB STEIN BYLINE: Thanksgiving has brought in unwelcome guests – the devastating waves of COVID. Nobody thinks this year is going to be any like the dark pandemic winters. The country faces something completely new: an unpredictable mix of new and old respiratory pathogens.

WILLIAM SHAFNER: Three viruses are threatening our health simultaneously – RSV, COVID and influenza.

STEIN: Vanderbilt University’s infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner.

SCHAFFNER: This is a tripledemic.

RSV: RSV recurred first. It infected lockdown infants and their older siblings with little immunity. This spread quickly to other areas, including pediatric emergency rooms and intensive-care units. It was also the first major flu season in three decades. More children were sickened by a strain that could potentially be dangerous for their grandparents. This is causing more hospitals to be overwhelmed by the pandemic. Here’s Lynnette Brimmer from the CDC.

LYNNETTE BRAMMER: The flu hospitalization rates are at their highest in the last decade for this time of the year.

STEIN: Now, Thanksgiving is approaching. Again, Dr. William Schaffner from Vanderbilt.

SCHAFFNER – These holiday celebrations, with all their travel and close contact, often function as virus accelerators. It’s a time when we spend a lot of quality time together, laughing and deep breathing. This is the perfect environment for respiratory viruses to spread.

STEIN: COVID is still a serious problem that kills hundreds of people every day. New omicron subvariants have taken over and are better at getting people infected, even though they’ve been vaxxed or boosted.

DAVID RUBIN – The real question is: What does this all mean for COVID?

STEIN: Dr. David Rubin has been following COVID at Philadelphia’s PolicyLab.

RUBIN: A significant resurgence in COVID will be seen in January and February. It may still be possible.

STEIN: The immune system from all COVID vaccines and infections should reduce the risk of serious illness. Dr. Ashish Jha, White House, says that people who receive one of the new bivalent micron boosters will be protected.

ASHISH JHA : Given where we are now, I am hopeful that we won’t be looking back to last winter. These things are decided by Mother Nature.

STEIN: The new boosters don’t have a lot of people interested; the same goes for flu shots.

JENNIFER NUZZO : Yes, it is. Looking ahead to the coming weeks, I find it very worrisome.

STEIN: Jennifer Nuzzo, at Brown University’s Pandemic Center, knows what everyone has to do when it comes to a third pandemic winter.

NUZZO: It’s not enough to accept that it will happen. It is possible to take steps to stop a rise in deaths and hospitalizations.

STEIN: Sorry, – Zooming for Thanksgiving, if you’re sick. Doing one of those quick tests before hugging Grandma or Grandpa, and keeping the mask handy, according to Dr. Tina Tan, Northwestern.

TINA TAN: It’s a smart move to avoid eating and drinking and protect the elderly as well as the immunocompromised.

STEIN: Here’s the good news. RSV could be at its peak, and the flu may peak before colliding with a new surge in COVID. The flu and RSV could be used to suppress COVID, just as COVID has crowded out the viruses in the past two years. We are hopeful that this year will bring us one of these scenarios. Rob Stein, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR. Copyright NPR.

@wykeishaforthecommunity PSA📣📣📣📣 Boost your immune system like yesterday, cover your mouth and wash your hands. keep your family safe. #awareness #publichealth #immunesystem #protectyourself #protectyourfamily #Tripledemic🤦🏾‍♀️ ♬ original sound – wykeishaforthecommunity