After facing COVID-19, some people may be quick to dismiss the relatively much smaller risk posed by the flu, and persisting disinformation around COVID-19 vaccines casts a shadow on other vaccines. Several factors, however, suggest that this year's flu season comes with new risks and the potential for a new public health crisis.
If you haven't yet decided to get a flu shot, keep this mind:
A surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in children made nationwide news at the end of the summer by filling up hospital beds. Like the flu, RSV is typically seasonal and self-limiting, but this year's RSV wave was unprecedented because of its size and early onset. Experts blame the RSV surge on epidemiologic measures taken against COVID-19, which also prevented other respiratory viruses from spreading. Because of the few RSV cases in the last two years, many young children were never exposed and are now susceptible. Experts refer to this as an "immunity debt." A similar debt may exist for influenza. CDC surveillance data shows that the 2022 flu season started four to six weeks earlier than usual and is progressing at a faster pace. What happened with RSV strongly suggests that we should expect a broader and taller peak to flu season. If you are unvaccinated, you will be more likely to get the flu now than in previous seasons.
Hospitals are stretched thin because of COVID-19 and RSV.
With the rapid surge in flu cases, hospitals are rapidly reaching capacity, with pediatric services being the most affected. This is not surprising given the increase in RSV cases, which has not fully abetted yet. Also, COVID-19 spread remains low but significant. Perhaps more importantly, hospitals are still dealing with chronic staff shortages in the wake of the pandemic, which exposed healthcare workers to enormous stress, trauma, and burnout, driving many to resign or retire. Because of this, many hospitals are not in optimal shape to handle a large surge in flu cases, and this may lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment and worse patient outcomes. Those who get the flu this season and get seriously ill will be less likely to receive timely and appropriate care.
Learn more about ECRI's COVID-19 guidance and resources.