The “tripledemic,” referring to influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, has been spreading rapidly through the United States in recent cooler months.
Dr. Dwayne Breining, the executive director at Northwell Health Labs, New York’s largest private healthcare provider, emphasized the importance of vaccinations, especially during this time of year.
“Vaccines, speaking for COVID specifically, are still your best prevention against severe illness caused from COVID.” Dr. Breining said. “We’re trying to push it out of our memory because everybody is tired of COVID and wants to forget all about it, but we shouldn’t forget that this was the most deadly pandemic in 100 years.”
The Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday its first flu death this winter was an adult over age 80 from Middlesex County. It also reported two RSV deaths: an older adult of the similar age in New Haven County and a Hartford County resident who was in their 60s.
Nearly 70 Connecticut residents died from COVID in October. On Long Island, about 55 people died from COVID last month.
Without vaccination, more than 100,000 Americans could die from preventable respiratory infections, according to Brown University’s School of Public Health.
“It does not seem like having the illness or last year's vaccine provides immunity that will last forever,” Dr. Breining added.
In regards to any associated risks with getting vaccines, Dr. Breining said, “the risks from the vaccine are very, very, very low.”
“Mostly it has to deal with symptoms of discomfort, soreness and there are some people who can feel a flu-like illness after the vaccine,” he said, “Your risks of severe injury from [vaccines] are vanishingly small, compared to your risk of severe injury from catching one of these viral diseases, and that's really the cost benefit equation for getting vaccinated.”
