Is the US facing a potential 'tripledemic' of flu, RSV and COVID-19?

[sear]

Is the US facing a potential 'tripledemic' of flu, RSV and COVID-19?​

CDC data shows cases of the flu and RSV are surging earlier than usual. By Mary Kekatos October 26, 2022

As summer ended and the United States headed into the fall and winter, doctors were worried Americans would see a "twindemic" -- a situation in which both flu and COVID-19 spread at the same time.
But experts told ABC News the country may now be facing the threat of a "tripledemic" as doctors see an early rise in other pediatric respiratory viruses, particularly respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

MORE: Flu cases on the rise as US prepares for possibly severe season, data shows​

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory illnesses are appearing earlier, and in more people, than in recent years.
The federal health agency says there has also been early increases in flu activity across most of the U.S. with indications that this season could be much more severe than the previous two seasons.
As of Monday afternoon, pediatric bed occupancy in the U.S. is the highest it's been in two years with 75% of the estimated 40,000 beds filled with patients, according to an ABC News analysis.

Is the US facing a potential 'tripledemic' of flu, RSV and COVID-19?

Experts tell ABC News with cases of flu and RSV rising earlier than usual and the threat of COVID still looming, the U.S. could see a 'tripledemic' this fall and winter.

abcnews.go.com

Have you gotten any COVID-19 vaccine? How many? The most recent?
This year's flu shot?

And now RSV. Got school-agers in the family? Got an action plan to protect them?

 

[mark mywords]

We got the covid booster last week I had a sore arm for two days and had about 12 hours when I felt a bit achy my wife took to her bed for two days!

No flu vaccination and that will probably be my last covid one

 

[sear]

The U.S. only has a few COVID spokespersons at this point. Dr. Anthony Fauci leads the parade. When asked they confess ignorance, but suggest COVID may end up being akin to influenza, and that just as there's a yearly "flu shot", it may be similar for COVID as well.
I've had 5 Pfizer, and one or more of those left me with injection site soreness that persisted for over a week. Not as bad as dying I suppose.

 

[b23zombie]

we've had the first 2 pfizers, and one booster. we'll get the next booster in january, but i'm more worried about my grandnieces and nephews, with RSV.

 

[sear]

It's too complicated for me. But there are two philosophies involved.

a) The current U.S. standard, artificially compensate with pharmaceutical vaccine for pathogens that would otherwise take a greater fatality % of the population. - OR -

b) Tolerate the attrition for benefit of the natural resistance that then proliferates within the surviving population.

I've got friends on both sides of that debate. And I've lost friends to COVID. I appreciate those that have sacrificed in service to battling back adversity such as totalitarianism. The ultimate sacrifice, for the anti-vax cause?

 

[mark mywords]

The current and indeed the recent iterations of C19 seem to be more or less benign with a fairly low mortality rate (amongst the other wise healthy) so given that the vaccinations have been fairly hard on me, as things stand (the virus can and will mutate) I wont be taking another vaccination

 

[sear]

Makes sense to beware the treatment that's worse than the disease. But the COVID fatalities may not all be what (who) one would expect. The frail elderly have one foot in the grave anyway.

What I don't know is, as COVID mutates, do the original strains die off? Or do they persist in parallel disease tracks?