Is a Midsummer Bump in COVID-19 Hospitalizations a Harbinger of Another Tough Winter?

The midpoint of summer saw the steepest increase on COVID-19 since December 2022, leading some public health authorities and academics to wonder aloud whether we could see another tripledemic—simultaneous, high rates of COVID, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus—as winter approaches. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for COVID-19 jumped 10.3% in the week ending July 15. Emergency room visits were also up for the week ending July 21. Given that many individuals and institutions no longer test for COVID proactively, it’s widely presumed that the data represent only a portion of current COVID cases. The news has stirred renewed discussion of vaccines to help prevent all three concerning viruses, as well. In addition to COVID and flu vaccines, the Food and Drug Administration approved an RSV vaccine for adults 60 years of age and older this year, as well as a drug to prevent the virus in children up to 2 years old.