United States: On Wednesday, the US agency said that it expects an increase in COVID and RSV cases in the coming weeks, a trend commonly seen during the winter season or holiday season.
High transmission alert
Amid holidays, time is spent traveling, gatherings are large, and people spend most of their time indoors, all of which lead to more virus transmission ease, the health agency observed.
CDC said that flu and COVID-19 hospitalizations are expected to rise in the next few weeks.
It also detects higher RSV circulation, especially in kids below five years, across the south and the east of the United States.
New vaccines adapted on PfizerBioNTech and Moderna had been authorized in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in August, Reuters reported.
The health regulator has also approved the vaccine for emergency use with Novavax’s traditional protein-based shot.
To this date, only three RSV vaccines have been approved by the FDA with contributions from companies such as GSK, Moderna, and Pfizer.
By October 5, 11.2 percent of adults aged 18 years or above had received booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 36.9 percent of adults aged 75 years or older had received RSV shots, CDC data shows.
Yet, at the moment, the national level of respiratory virus activity is low and has differences at the state level; the CDC expects that situation to change.
Major infection season is about to start
According to the CDC, respiratory disease flares occur from December through February.
Several different respiratory viruses circulate more in the fall and winter, including those for flu, COVID-19, and RSV illness.
Since the holidays are approaching, this time entails gatherings, travel, and extension of time indoors, which, in essence, increases the spread of viruses.
Therefore, it is inevitable to apply preventive measures to maintain our health mechanically, all in order to enjoy time with families, friends, and neighbors, Reuters reported.
It turns out that state health departments, healthcare providers, and each individual carry a certain level of responsibility. Healthcare workers should be vaccinated, showing an example to the patients they are serving to get vaccinated as well.