Places You Should Avoid During The Tripledemic
Flu, RSV, and COVID will be circulating this winter. What places should you avoid to protect yourself from these viruses?
If you have been watching or reading the news recently, you have probably heard something about flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) levels being high this year. These in combination with COVID are making quite the stir up this winter for families, healthcare providers, and individuals. People are now referring to it as the tripledemic because this winter will be a tough fight against flu, RSV, and COVID.
Flu and RSV cases are abnormally high for this time of year. Many hospitals are at or close to capacity limits. Experts think that flu and RSV numbers are high this year because last year people were wearing masks and staying home more. This year masks aren’t being worn as much and most people are back in school or the office. People have lower immunity to these viruses right now because they were not exposed to them as much in the last two years due to wearing masks and quarantining.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that influenza activity is continuing to increase and that so far this year there have been at least 2.8 million flu illnesses, 23,000 flu hospitalizations, and 1,300 deaths from the flu. These numbers so far are higher than every previous flu season since 2010.1 The surveillance and statistics for this year’s RSV rates is not readily available yet but hospitals have been struggling due to the abnormally high number of RSV cases this year. Foruntanley, COVID cases have been stable. According to the CDC, there are approximately 288,989 new COVID cases weekly, 2,344 COVID deaths weekly, and 3,409 daily COVID hospital admissions.2
So what are some places that you should avoid and that put you at the highest risk of getting one of these viruses? Any poorly ventilated indoor area where people are gathering will put you at risk. This could be a bar, a concert, gym, social gathering, etc. Preventive medicine Dr. William Schaffner told Healthline, “Any and all locations where people are close together in enclosed rooms, particularly if there is vigorous speech, singing, or exertion because that involves deep breathing which can spread the viruses widely,”3
If you are planning on going to a place like this you will want to take some precautions. You should be vaccinated for the flu annually and have your updated COVID booster if you are eligible. If you are vulnerable or immunocompromised you should wear a mask, practice social distancing, and try to avoid indoor gatherings. Always stay home when you are sick.
Resources
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, November 10). Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). CDC Covid Data tracker. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
3. Mills, D. (2022, November 11). Flu, RSV, covid-19 tridemic: Highest risk places. Healthline. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/flu-rsv-covid-19-trifecta-the-places-experts-think-put-you-at-highest-risk#If-you-do-plan-to-go-to-one-of-these-places,-what-are-the-most-important-precautions-to-take?
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