October 5, 2023 – As we move into fall and winter, the specter of a “tripledemic” – when cases of COVID-19, flu and RSV increase concurrently – looms over our heads.
Leading experts from the CDC met and discussed it on Wednesday three viruses what we're faced with and the way we are able to best protect ourselves and others.
At the meeting, CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, said clear, easy messaging is paramount at once: The simplest approach to protect yourself from this season's worst viruses is thru vaccination. Anyone over 6 months old should get it Flu shot and updated Covid vaccination; Pregnant women and adults over 60 should get vaccinated against RSV. For all of those viruses, the month of October is the most effective time to get vaccinated to stop later infections.
“Concomitant administration of this vaccine with influenza and COVID vaccines is completely acceptable,” said Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH, acting director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). “And it's important to remember that there is a lot of overlap between the conditions that can increase the risk of influenza and COVID and those that can also increase the risk of severe RSV disease.”
I'm going through the CDCs updated recommendation list For all three vaccinations, Daskalakis said if you might have already received a dose of the previous COVID vaccine, it is best to wait about two months before receiving the updated shot. If you might have recently had COVID, that is the case CDC guidelines sayyou could consider waiting three months to receive the brand new COVID vaccination.
In addition to the unique vaccine series and one dose of the updated shot, Daskalakis said immunocompromised individuals may now receive additional doses depending on what their doctor recommends.
Regarding RSV in infants, Daskalakis noted that each one babies are eligible for nirsevimab, the monoclonal antibody treatment to guard against RSV. Another option to focus on newborns and young children is to vaccinate pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
With all these viruses, experts agreed that speed is the important thing to treatment. Getting tested as soon as possible, getting antiviral medications like Paxlovid for COVID-19 or those for the flu, and covering up in case you've been exposed to a virus are all necessary strategies for safeguarding others from infection.
There have been such because the introduction of the updated COVID vaccine many reports from individuals who have difficulty getting an appointment or whose appointments are canceled on the last minute. Daskalakis and Nirav Shah, MD, JD, principal deputy director of the CDC, addressed these issues.
“Public health distribution of vaccines is very different from commercial distribution of vaccines,” said Daskalakis, who said it took a yr of planning to organize for the transition. Contrary to reports, he said the CDC is seeing a rise in vaccine supply each day to all providers, be they pharmacies or doctor's offices.
“Please don’t give up on the vaccine, know that the vaccine is available,” Shah said. “And please again contact your doctor, contact your pharmacist, because it is likely that they will receive the vaccine now if they did not receive it two weeks ago.”