Experts worry about triple threat of respiratory viruses

As winter sets in, health experts are expressing concern that viral infections such as COVID-19, RSV and seasonal flu are having an unusually difficult season in this country.

It’s not just COVID-19 anymore, or a triple-demic.
Welcome to the “new norm” of seasonal illnesses. https://t.co/see5vlgfBi .

— CBC News (@CBCNews) December 8, 2023

The expected increase in viral activity comes at a time when healthcare systems are already under pressure from staff shortages and high occupancy rates.

The RSV era began in September last year and has been attributed in part to a decline in immunity in the general population due to social isolation, as well as to other COVID-19 prevention measures.

Admissions and deaths due to COVID-19 are low, but flu cases are on the rise, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the situation in pediatric hospital emergency rooms is worrisome, particularly among children presenting with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

Holiday gatherings will certainly facilitate the transmission of viruses from younger family members to their elders, which is of particular concern to health professionals.

The convergence of influenza, COVID and RSV could trigger a viral chain reaction that could prove devastating.