Watch for it: A 'tri-demic' of viruses could be on its way

Doctors and other health professionals need to get ready for a “tri-demic” this fall—an expected rise in influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID cases. That was one of the key messages in a media briefing hosted recently by the Ontario Medical Association. ‘Doctors really need to get prepared,” OMA president Dr. Andrew Park said during the August 24 virtual event. “This includes ensuring that we ourselves get our vaccinations. From a practice standpoint and from a provider standpoint, it’s important to ensure that our primary care physicians … have a stable supply of their vaccines ready to go and that they have a supply of their personal protective equipment to ensure that when their patients are sick, that they are protecting themselves.” Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto Public Health’s associate medical officer of health, pointed to recent trends in Australia and New Zealand, which saw children affected more seriously by the flu virus during the past influenza season. “We know that RSV and flu can be more serious in children, especially young children,” she said. “But we also learned that the influenza virus strains that circulated were a good match with the vaccine.” Read: An unusual RSV season ahead for 2023—after nirsevimab but before a vaccine Given this favourable vaccine-to-virus match, it’s critical for parents to get their kids vaccinated this fall—and for doctors to remind families to get the jab. “That will be really important to keep children from getting very sick from the flu,” said Dr. Dubey. Read: Babies should get recently approved drug for RSV, CDC says Another important fact: COVID is still here and can be expected to manifest in new variants. A booster is expected to become available later on this year—likely starting in October, with versions for adults and perhaps also for children. With immunity against COVID starting to wane among the vaccinated Canadian population, doctors should also be urging their patients to get the booster for themselves and their children, said Dr. Dubey. “As we go indoors and as the virus has a really good chance to spread, then we'll need that added protection,” she said. “With each new variant, there could be differences also in its impact on different ages, and how serious that COVID variant is.” While children tend to have milder symptoms from COVID, what must be considered when treating them is that they can—like adults—experience long COVID. “Children can present with symptoms of poor concentration or fatigue,” said Dr. Dubey. “We know that the vaccine is safe and can prevent long COVID, so that's something else to keep in mind.” Dr. Dubey also underlined that the vaccines for flu and COVID can be administered at the same time this fall. “Let's also not forget those preventative measures (such as wearing a mask and constant hand-washing) that we've learned and that we reinforced during the pandemic,” she said. “They still work.” Read: Understanding the impact of RSV in older adults

Watch for it: A 'tri-demic' of viruses could be on its way

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