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?

 

[sear]

2026 A.I. Update:

AI-designed 'universal vaccine' passes first human clinical trial, could prevent future pandemics​

By Teresa Mull Fox News / Published June 13, 2026 4:59pm EDT

A vaccine created using artificial intelligence that could potentially provide broader protection against multiple coronaviruses and help prepare for future outbreaks has passed its first human clinical trial.
Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Southampton developed a "universal vaccine" designed to protect against multiple Sarbeco coronaviruses, which the university explained in a news release is "the large group of viruses that occur in nature, including SARS-CoV-2, which caused the COVID pandemic."

Traditional vaccines must constantly be updated as viruses mutate, and the process is "like a dog chasing its tail," said University of Southampton professor Saul Faust, the trial’s chief investigator.
"Viruses like Influenza, coronaviruses and the Ebola group are evolving continuously, and by the time vaccines are rolled out, they may be poorly matched — the current ‘reactive’ vaccine system struggles to keep pace," Faust said.
An antigen is the active ingredient in a vaccine meant to trigger an immune-system response and fight off infection. According to the release, the university scientists logged all the available genetic sequence data for Sarbeco coronaviruses and used AI used to design a "super-antigen" that contains the antigen features "common to this whole group of viruses – including ones that haven’t emerged yet."

The trial of the vaccine proved safe and triggered an immune response in 39 healthy volunteers, marking "the first time that a vaccine whose active component was designed entirely by computer simulations has been tested in humans," the release said.

"This new class of universal vaccines are future-proofed," Faust said. "They not only protect against many variants simultaneously, but potentially against related viruses that haven’t yet emerged and spilt over to humans. If we can develop and clinically advance this new class of vaccines before a virus outbreak begins, millions of lives could be saved, lockdowns avoided and the economy preserved."

A new vaccine has been proven safe and capable of triggering immune responses against coronavirus in a limited human trial.
Some experts have raised broad concerns about using AI in medicine, primarily when it comes to making clinical decisions, not developing vaccines. Certain groups of people may be underrepresented in the data AI relies on, resulting in biased outcomes, some said.

AI also sometimes produces erroneous information, called "hallucinations," and determining who is liable for medical failings in such situations is a complex matter.

AI-designed 'universal vaccine' passes first human clinical trial, could prevent future pandemics

An AI-designed universal vaccine targeting multiple coronaviruses passed its first clinical trial, triggering immune responses in 39 healthy volunteers.

www.foxnews.com

 

[sear]

" " S2 #8

"The COVID vaccine I would very safely estimate would be seen as one of the greatest scientific achievements of humanity ever." ...
"The estimates are from the Kaiser Family Foundation that between July of '21 and April of '22 when vaccines were available and free to everybody 234,000 Americans died unnecessarily because of misinformation. The culture wars killed a lot of people."
former NIH director, author of The Road To Wisdom, Dr. Francis S.Collins 24/09/17