Cases of COVID-19 and the flu are on the rise according to the most recent federal data. RSV testing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests the rate of positive tests peaked a few weeks ago, though infections remain high.
The U.S. headed into the current respiratory viral season with three preventive drugs against RSV for the first time and updated COVID-19 vaccines. But uptake of these drugs has been lackluster due to waning enthusiasm or difficulty in accessing them.
By mid-December, nearly 8 million fewer flu shots had been administered to adults when compared to the year prior.
Administration of RSV vaccines among nursing homes also appears to be low while accessing the preventive monoclonal antibodies approved for infants has proven difficult as the shot has been in short supply and reserved for the highest-risk patients.
Just less than a third of adults say they’ve gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccine according to polling from Gallup, with 51 percent saying they don’t plan to get the latest dose at all.
“The numbers are not looking good,” Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told The Hill.
“I think when we get some new numbers for the last week, it’s going to be sort of continued trends in the same direction and increased activity across all of those conditions,” he added.
Following weeks of year-end travel, a holiday “bump” in cases is expected to follow. Clinicians expect, however, that a peak in cases may soon come around based on past respiratory viral seasons.
And while three circulating viruses may increase the chances of more people getting sick, health systems around the country are so far managing to handle the number of sick patients according to stakeholders.
