Concerns about a Triple Threat of Viruses is now starting to come true. This is what’s concerning Health Officials charts of the Flu in Pennsylvania showing Flu numbers right now higher than they’ve been in the past 8 years of data, and at a point much earlier than typical Flu peaks. Combine that with an ongoing concern about a high rate of RSV and COVID, which is beginning to rise again post-Thanksgiving — what’s being called a “Tripledemic” is pushing an already strained Hospital system to another potential breaking point.
In Pennsylvania: Flu cases already hitting a 9-year high, above the 2017-2018 Flu Season which the CDC says led to 80,000 flu-related deaths nationwide. Combined with a peak in cases of RSV and a now post-holiday rise in COVID, creating fear that the so-called “Tripledemic” is once again pushing Hospitals to the brink. A fact made worse, Doctors say, by Flu antibodies being low post-COVID lockdowns and vaccine rates for both Flu and COVID significantly dropping off as exhausted Americans are increasingly saying enough is enough.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky saying: “This rise in cases and hospitalizations is especially worrisome as we move into the winter months when more people are assembling indoors with less ventilation.”
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer of the American Medical Association adding: “I know everyone’s tired of getting shots. We all have booster fatigue. But understand. You could get really, really sick this year and ruin your holiday celebrations if you don’t get vaccinated.”
Will the message get through? A recent Ipsos poll found only about 20% of Americans still worry about the COVID Pandemic and public health more broadly.
