Jadyn Soares ‘25, Commentary Staff Writer

Image Courtesy of Pharmacy Practice News

COVID-19 is still very present nationwide, but as we have returned to our daily lives where wearing a mask once again feels foreign, it is extremely easy to forget about the prevalence of the virus. Only about five percent of the eligible American population is current with their booster vaccines, which should be taken every 2 months. However, I feel it is hard to stay up to date with a vaccine that must be taken six times each year. Considering that falling ill with COVID-19 does not seem as scary as it did a few years ago, we tend to overlook the necessity of the vaccine. However, we actually saw a rise in COVID-19 cases in late November, and thousands of cases continue to appear on the daily. In addition, we are in a flu season that doctors consider much worse than usual. Hospitalization rates are the highest they have been since the Swine Flu pandemic of 2009; in the week of December 2, 2022 alone, 19,593 people were admitted to the hospital with the flu. 

This news is especially concerning considering that yet another virus is in high circulation at the moment: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Although RSV is generally a virus with a quick recovery time, it can cause severe complications for babies and older adults, populations more susceptible to contracting the disease. The CDC reports that RSV is the cause of approximately 2.3 million outpatient visits each year, though nearly 2.1 million of those cases are children under 5. In 2022, though, RSV had an early emergence and case numbers peaked much earlier than usual. Weekly case counts in October 2022 were more than double of any week in 2020 or 2021—and numbers have only risen since then. Accordingly, scientists are calling this winter a ‘tripledemic.’ But what caused this public health crisis in the first place?

The answer to that question is probably surprising. Medical professionals are linking the severity of this year’s ‘tripledemic’ to the COVID-19 lockdown, which was intended to do exactly the opposite of what it is doing now: keep us safe from contracting disease. Children who generally would have contracted these diseases by the age of three—and built immunity through doing so—are contracting the viruses now. While it is crucial to note that this does not mean that the lockdown was ineffective, the current health situation is a result of the lockdown, which has limited the transmission of these viruses in recent years. Furthermore, this spike in cases has led to an overwhelming need for hospital beds that, unfortunately, are not available due, partly, to understaffing: healthcare workers have to take on more roles and, as a result, are more stressed and susceptible to quitting. Additionally, the current health situation calls for discussion on both the national healthcare system, that leaves many uninsured and unable to receive proper care for their ailment, and the management of health institutions across the nation, as many healthcare workers are required to work in a high-stress environment for excessive hours. We are not paying enough attention to these ‘behind-the-scenes’ problems. However, the faults in the healthcare system cannot be resolved overnight.

So, this year, it is especially important to protect ourselves from these diseases. Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots, and RSV vaccines (which are now in the process of becoming readily available), wear a mask if you or someone you know is sick, and stay home if you are sick to protect yourself and others. If the situation becomes worse, we will only have ourselves to blame for not following the proper precautions. For now, it is important to prioritize our own health in order to lessen the demand for hospital care. By starting small and focusing on ourselves, it should be possible to improve the working conditions for the millions of healthcare professionals throughout the nation. It is up to us to keep our communities safe, so we must do everything in our power to stay healthy during this time.