A new strain of COVID (JN.1), RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and flu can cause a possible triple threat to your health.
Referred to as a “Tridemic” or “Tripledemic” – these three illnesses can include more than 100 viruses that cause upper respiratory infections.
All three viruses are on the rise nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports half of all reported COVID cases are the new subvariant and in addition, there have been 19 million flu cases with 19,000 deaths.
With such statistics, healthcare facilities in LA County have returned to mask mandates. There aren’t the same mandates in other public facilities; however, healthcare providers are encouraging the public to wear masks, increase hand washing and be aware of social gatherings that can increase possible exposure to these highly contagious illnesses.
At a recent news briefing held by Ethnic Media Services, healthcare professionals discussed the challenges of handling increased viruses, the impact on healthcare systems and the new strain of COVID.
“All three viruses can cause lower respiratory infection and include infections of the bronchial tree and lungs, which can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia,” said Dr. Jose Luis Perez, CEO of South Central Family Health Center. “All three viruses invade the human body by coming in contact with body fluids from an infected individual.” Mucus particles can be left in the air and on surfaces from an infected person sneezing and coughing.
Perez said it’s difficult to tell what kind of virus you may have based on symptoms alone. They all share the same commonalities of cough and runny nose, fevers and even shortness of breath in addition to muscle aches and fever.
Lower respiratory infections can develop into pneumonia and bronchitis.
“Those who are at more risk are those who suffer from lung diseases like asthma, COPD and are obese – obesity does impair our ability to breathe normally. So obesity is a risk factor, especially with COVID,” said Perez. In addition, Perez said those who are immunosuppressed and have diabetes are predisposed to getting infections more frequently and severely, and those who are being treated for cancer with chemotherapy and radiotherapy become immunosuppressed and are more susceptible to the tridemic. The Latino community, Perez noted, has a high propensity for diabetes.
JN.1 is Latest Strain of COVID
The new COVID variant, known as “JN.1” is now estimated to cause more than 50 percent of cases. Getting vaccinated is still the best defense, said Dr. Ben Neuman, chief virologist at the Global Health Research Complex at Texas A&M University.
“It really doesn’t matter which variant you have when you’re lying in a hospital bed or in a medically-induced coma. If any one of these gets through your defenses, there is an increased risk of hospitalization and death,” said Neuman. “And the vaccines mitigate that. They make it less likely, but it is still very much possible.”
Newman said this latest strain is a relative of an older strain of COVID known as “BA.2.86.”
“Up until this point, we have vaccinated against three different strains. And we have driven all of those to extinction, probably through a combination of vaccination and herd immunity,” said Newman. “This is the first time that one of those older strains has escaped, mutated, grown and come back to cause additional problems.”
Newman said JN.1 is one descendant of the early Omicron strains. “All the rest of that family tree has gone extinct or has mutated into the other strains that we see. But right now, JN.1 is about 50% of the cases that are being reported worldwide. And it is growing much faster than any of the other strains out there,” he said.
“It has mutated, grown and returned to cause additional problems.”
While the federal government ended the free vaccine program last May, it is still crucial to stay on top of protecting yourself. The responsibility to cover vaccinations goes back to health plans. Many private health care plans and Medi-Cal continue to cover COVID, flu and RSV vaccines.
Elderly and Infants at Risk for RSV
Those at greatest risk for RSV include infants younger than 12 months, premature babies, those with pre-existing conditions and the elderly 65 years and older.
“Typically, RSV season in the U.S. in North America is essentially October through March. In the last couple of years, since the COVID pandemic, it has been a little bit more variable. We have seen the early start of the RSV season lasting longer, but this has been traditionally sort of a fall-winter, October through March,” said Dr. Manisha Newaskar, clinical assistant professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine.
“Although nearly all children are infected with RSV before their second birthday, it typically presents like a regular cold in older children and young adults, but the younger or older you are, the greater the risk to your immune status,” said Newaskar.
There are antiviral medications and hospital treatments for RSV, but there are no vaccines for children.
The highest morbidity for RSV is with those younger than 6 months old and premature infants. They exhibit severe trouble breathing, low oxygen levels, wheezing and pneumonia.
Injectable antibody Synagis has been given to high-risk infants.
As more is learned and treatments develop for these illnesses, the best defense continues to be prevention.
“The best tipledemic treatment is prevention, which includes getting vaccines where they’re available. The lessons we learned during the pandemic are still critical to keeping ourselves safe,” said Newaskar.
“Take care to wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth with a mask in high-density spaces, keep a six-foot distance from anyone coughing or sneezing, stay home if you feel sick and get vaccinated,” said Perez.