CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WMBD) — Fall is around the corner. As the seasons change there comes an increase in respiratory infections including COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.
And while some people may want the rise a “tripledemic”, Douglas Kasper with the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria said it’s expected changes in seasonal patterns of respiratory viruses. Kasper who is the Section Head for Infectious Diseases said vaccines are how medical professionals prepare for COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.
“Where this used to be a pandemic where things were happening off of calendar cycle or they were unexpected, this is much more of a pattern of predictability, he said. “We know that things are going to hit it, it’s just that they’re going to hit at the same time. And that’s where we’re starting to put a little more attention towards it.”
He said there are new tools with vaccinations for RSV including an antibody for children ages two and under. There is also an emerging vaccine for those who are pregnant. Otherwise, you must be 60 years old and older to receive the RSV vaccine.
Kasper said a new COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available in the next two weeks. He said there can be confusion about how to fit all three vaccines into your personal schedule.
“You can receive multiple vaccinations at the same time,” he said.
But taking multiple vaccines at once can come with a caveat.
“If people have had any prior issue with receiving a vaccine, even if it was to them a mild issue, we recommend spacing them a little bit so there’s no confusion if there’s an adverse effect,” said Kasper. “In the season that we’re in now, there is enough time where you can space them out even if it was a few days.”
Kasper said peak influenza activity in the area is expected to happen between December and April.
