Physician Offers Advice for ‘Tripledemic’ Protection During Holiday Gatherings

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The start of the holiday season has long coincided with the start of cold and flu season in Massachusetts, and the past couple of years have also brought serious concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, conditions seem ripe for what many have coined a ‘tripledemic’ — a convergence of the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The experts at American Family Care (AFC) in Springfield and West Springfield want residents to understand the risks and the steps they can take to protect themselves.

“We know there is a significant amount of COVID fatigue as we enter our third year of the pandemic, but vigilance is still important, both to protect those most at risk of developing complications and to minimize the impact on our healthcare system,” said Dr. Vincent Meoli, AFC’s regional medical director for Massachusetts. “Unfortunately, we are already seeing high rates of hospitalizations due to RSV this year, and there is a strong potential for a tough flu season as well.”

Meoli offers the following advice to help minimize the spread of illness this holiday season:

• Get the annual flu shot; it’s not too late for those who haven’t;

• Get the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters as recommended;

• Wash and dry hands thoroughly and often;

• Maintain social distancing and/or wear masks, especially in large, indoor gatherings;

• Get tested immediately at the start of symptoms;

• Stay home if you have symptoms of any illness, including fever, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, aches, chills, and fatigue, which all of these viruses have in common; and

• Regularly disinfect surfaces and high-touch areas like doorknobs and faucets.

“We saw a tremendous reduction in flu cases during the height of the pandemic because people were wearing masks and isolating,” Meoli said. “Now that society has opened up again and masks are no longer required in most places, we anticipate the number of flu cases to increase and have already started to see them. Australia was hit harder than normal this year, which indicates that the same may be true here.”

Dr. Meoli noted that, for those who are attending gatherings — especially with people at high risk for COVID-19 like the elderly, children, or people who are immunocompromised — testing for COVID-19 the day before or the day of the gathering can provide some extra reassurance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advise testing (either with a rapid antigen test or PCR-based test in a laboratory) immediately at the start of symptoms. People exposed to COVID-19 but have no symptoms should wait five full days to test to avoid inaccurate results.

“Talk to a healthcare provider if you have any concerns about vaccines, symptoms, or testing,” Meoli said. “COVID-19, flu, and RSV all have the potential for complications, hospitalization, or death.”