Colorado threat of "tripledemic" is coinciding with the holidays
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Don't be surprised if you come in contact with a few uninvited guests around the Thanksgiving table this year.
What's happening: The threat of a "tripledemic" collision of flu, COVID and RSV cases has arrived just in time for the holidays — and the chances of getting sick this season are high.
- Meanwhile, local health workers on the front lines are seeing an unprecedented number of patients as staff levels remain squeezed.
What they're saying: "All of our ERs are basically seeing volumes 30, 40 to sometimes even 50% above even the highest numbers that we've seen in previous seasons,” Kevin Carney, associate chief medical officer with Children's Hospital Colorado, which has four Front Range facilities, told CPR.
- The flu is "very quickly gonna really compound the complexity of what we're managing here," Carney added.
By the numbers: Colorado is one of 16 states with a "very high" rate of influenza-like illnesses, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- The state is reporting about 900 RSV hospitalizations so far this fall, nearly 380 patients in the hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 160 flu hospitalizations this season.
- Meanwhile, nearly 90% of all intensive care beds in Colorado hospitals statewide are filled, state data shows.
The big picture: The data suggests this year's respiratory illness season is hitting Colorado and other parts of the U.S. harder and earlier than in previous years, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.
- Flu activity levels nationwide haven't been this high this early since the 2009 swine flu pandemic, according to CDC data.
- The spike also coincides with a higher rate in RSV cases compared to previous years and the continued spread of COVID-19.
Be smart: Health experts say the best ways to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses is to avoid public places if sick, wear face masks, wash hands regularly, and stay up-to-date on COVID and flu vaccines — which can be received simultaneously.