Tripledemic Update: Watch Out for More COVID—Thanks to a New Variant—as Flu and RSV Recede

The fall and winter months have seen nearly constantly fluctuations in rates of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza. Reports from around the country show this is unlikely to change anytime soon. WKRC TV aired a story noting that while flu and RSV have been declining in the Cincinnati area, COVID has had a resurgence that is pushing an ever-growing number of patients to not only area hospitals, but also urgent care centers. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm that flu activity across the country has fallen for 4 straight weeks, with a corresponding drop in hospitalizations for flu. At the same time, the CDC reports that a newly identified variant called XBB is responsible for over 40% of new dases of SARS-CoV-2. That does not bode well for the coming weeks, at least, due to the fact that XBB has shown to be especially antibody-resistant compared with other variants.