Infectious diseases professionals urge the public to protect themselves and their communities from fall respiratory viruses like influenza, COVID-19 and RSV by getting vaccinated.
Respiratory virus season is approaching rapidly, which means an increased risk of infection from three viruses — influenza, COVID-19 and RSV. Despite the health risks these viruses carry, especially for vulnerable groups such as older adults, pregnant people and immunocompromised people, vaccination rates for the 2023-2024 season were some of the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic started. As of June, only 48% of the U.S. had received a flu shot, and only 22% had received an updated COVID-19 vaccine. The years-long COVID-19 pandemic has left many confused about or even reluctant to take steps to protect themselves from the risk of these respiratory viruses.
Vaccination and the tripledemic
The threat of a “tripledemic” — a surge of influenza, COVID-19 and RSV cases at the same time — during the upcoming viral season continues to worry infectious diseases physicians like me, especially because of the historically low rates of vaccination. In 2022, a tripledemic killed over 100,000 people in the U.S. Vaccination against these viruses is one of the most effective ways to prevent hospitalization, severe symptoms and the development of long-term syndromes such as long COVID, which affects an estimated 7% of adults.
Meeting the public health and clinical needs of the community often falls to infectious diseases doctors, who can build trust and confidence in health care. However, almost 80% of U.S. counties are without a single ID-trained clinician, making access to specialty ID care hard to find. IDSA is taking actions to ensure that we are bringing more doctors into the field of ID to meet the needs of our communities, especially during the respiratory virus season.
What you can do
The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is receiving the seasonal vaccines recommended by your health care provider. Older adults should consult their physician on receiving an RSV shot during the upcoming season in conjunction with influenza and COVID-19 shots. Parents with young children under 24 months should consult their physician regarding RSV monoclonal antibodies.
In addition, you can see real-time estimates of the rates of COVID-19 and influenza in your communities by using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationwide trackers: Fluview for influenza and the COVID Data Tracker for COVID-19. When you see high rates of these diseases in your community, you can choose to take safety measures like masking, which can lower your risk for respiratory virus transmission. CDC especially encourages those with risk factors for severe illness, including those over age 65 and those with certain medical conditions, to mask in public when community transmission is high.
Every year, infectious diseases professionals witness preventable deaths during respiratory illness season. These are especially tragic losses when highly effective and safe vaccines are available. Take the simple steps needed to protect yourself and your loved ones this season and talk to your health care provider today about getting vaccinated and masking when community transmission is high, when you or the people around you have been exposed to a respiratory virus and when those you are with are at increased risk for severe illness.
