There and Back Again: How to Stay Safe in the “Tripledemic”
Eli Styles | February 1, 2024
As puffy coats and snow boots emerge with the winter season, COVID-19, influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are making their statement as their cases surge to nearly unprecedented numbers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the amount of respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare is elevated or increasing across most areas of the country. As students return to school after long breaks full of visiting friends and family, healthcare professionals are wary of the potential continued increase in cases as carriers of undetected viruses mingle.
The new dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2, JN-1, is estimated to cause more than 60% of current COVID-19 cases. Symptoms of the JN-1 variant are not reported to be more severe than other variants such as Omicron, but JN-1 has immune evasion and has mutated to become more easily transmissible.
Everyone has heard the COVID-19 spiel before: stay six feet apart, wear a mask and wash your hands. However, those words do not seem to hold much meaning anymore — but what is one meant to do when faced with two other respiratory viruses as well, and what exactly are these viruses?
COVID-19 — named after coronavirus disease 2019 — is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virus is spread when an infected person breathes out droplets and particles that contain the virus, and other people breathe in these droplets or particles or are infected through said particles landing on their eyes, nose, mouth or a surface that they touch.
An infected person does not have to be symptomatic to be contagious, which is why it is important to test any time you are exposed, even if you feel perfectly fine. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are respiratory related, but symptoms range from a fever to body aches and more. Symptoms also range from mild to severe and will present differently in every case.
Flu is a respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that affect the nose, throat and lungs. The virus is spread through droplets when infected people cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets land in the mouths or noses of those nearby — typically within six feet — or are inhaled into the lungs. Occasionally flu is spread through a contaminated surface.
People infected with flu are most contagious in the first three to four days after their illness begins. Symptoms typically begin approximately two days after infection, but flu can be contagious to close contacts even before symptoms emerge. Symptoms of flu range from mild to severe and include fever, cough, sore throat, headaches and more.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms. RSV is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets produced land on someone’s eyes, nose or mouth, or if someone touches an object with the virus on it and touches their face before washing their hands. Almost all children have been infected with RSV by their first birthday, but repeat infections may occur. Infants, young children and older adults are at an increased risk for RSV.
RSV is typically contagious for three to eight days and can become contagious a day or two before signs of RSV occur. People with weakened immune systems may be able to spread the virus for up to four weeks after the initial infection. RSV can survive for long periods of time on hard surfaces, and comparatively shorter amounts of time on soft surfaces. Symptoms of RSV include runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever and more.
To keep yourself safe during what has been named the “tripledemic”, do your research and consider the following advice:
Wash your hands. Using clean water and soap, scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails for at least twenty seconds, six to ten times a day depending on need. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer — containing at least 60% alcohol — if clean water and soap are not available.
Stay home and isolate yourself when you are sick. Your health holds priority over attending class, and your classmates will thank you for keeping respiratory illness contained.
Wear a mask. Masks reduce the spread of respiratory illness by lowering the amount of infectious particles that are inhaled or exhaled. It is especially important to wear a mask when in a crowded, enclosed environment, if you feel unwell, if you have been around someone who has been sick with a respiratory illness or if you are immunocompromised and at a higher risk of contracting illness.
Improve ventilation. Though it can be difficult to manage in the winter months, it is important to keep ventilation going in your living space and spend as much time as possible outside. Open windows, keep the thermostat on or use portable air purifiers to keep things clean inside the dorms.
Get tested. COVID-19 tests are available at the health center on Warren Wilson College campus — this is the only place on campus for students or employees to obtain tests — or most pharmacies in the area. See a doctor to get tested for flu and RSV.
Another way to stay safe is to get vaccinated. Though vaccines for COVID-19, flu and RSV do not prevent a person from getting infected with one of these respiratory viruses, they do decrease the severity of the disease after it has been contracted and can prevent more severe cases or hospitalizations. Online services — such as this one — can help you find a location near you with the vaccine you need.
The most important thing to keep in mind as the pandemic continues is that the world is constantly changing. As people around you contract illnesses or new information on keeping safe comes to light, change your routine along with the insight. If you are not willing to wear a mask all the time, at least make sure to wear one when sick or coming into frequent contact with someone who is sick.
And do not forget about the possible long-term consequences of contracting a respiratory virus — conditions such as long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory issues and more. Each of these diseases, particularly COVID-19, can affect your body long after you are deemed “healthy”.
These conditions also disproportionately affect disabled and immunocompromised people. These people are more likely to have severe cases of respiratory diseases that have the potential to, in turn, make their chronic conditions worse.
Due to all of these reasons and more, it is imperative to keep yourself safe and illness contained throughout the coming months. Wearing a mask is always easier than suffering from a respiratory disease.