A triple epidemic is brewing this winter and it’s already affecting millions

The United States as well as several other countries are facing a confluence of viral infections that have led many virologists to suggest this winter will see the rise of what they’re calling a triple epidemic. 

Just when the world thought the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic was over, the virus has surged back in its Omicron BA4/BA5 variant—and it has been accompanied by a virulent new strain of influenza as well as an uncommonly contagious Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

“We’re seeing everything come back with a vengeance,” said Dr. Alpana Waghmare, an infectious diseases expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and a physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Many children’s hospitals in Canada and the United States have already experienced a surge in patients thanks in part to RSV and Covid-19.

Canada’s leading children’s hospital, The Hospital for Sick Kids, was forced to cancel all surgeries on November 11th in order to safeguard its intensive care unit (ICU).

In a statement from the hospital, officials said they had “no choice but to reduce surgical activity for the time being to preserve our critical care capacity,” noting that their ICUs have “been above 127 percent capacity for several days.”

In the United States, hospitals are being pushed to the brink as well. Many were already suffering from serious Covid-19-related staffing shortages but now they’re facing a new problem, a lack of beds. 

“This is not just an issue.” said Anne Klibanski, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham in Boston, “This is a crisis. We are caring for patients in the hallways of our emergency departments.”

“There is a huge capacity crisis,” Klibanski added, “and it’s becoming more and more impossible to take care of patients correctly and provide the best care that we all need to be providing.”

Things aren’t much better in Europe where pediatric ICUs in Germany have also been struggling to cope with a sharp rise in RSV as well as continued admissions from severe influenza and Covid-19 cases. 

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has noted that several other European countries are also experiencing unusually high cases of RSV, including France, Ireland, Spain, and Sweden. 

“With the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the circulation and health impact of other respiratory pathogens, it is challenging to predict how the new winter period will develop,” read a joint statement by the ECDC, European Commission, and World Health Organization. 

All of this couldn’t be happening at a worse time. With little to no restrictions in place and with travel and socialization back in full swing, this winter is likely to produce one of the most dangerous health situations the world has faced in decades. 

“You’ve got this waning Covid immunity, coinciding with the impact of the flu coming along here, and R.S.V.,” said Andrew Read, an evolutionary microbiologist at Penn State University. “We’re in uncharted territory here.”

Most cases of the flu, RSV, and Covid-19 are expected to be mild. But older adults, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals, and young children are at the most risk this winter.

“As of today, we are seeing equal numbers of Covid, flu, and R.S.V. and that’s really concerning because we are very early for flu and R.S.V. activity,” said Dr. Diego Hijano, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, “It’s going to be a rough winter,” he added.