US warns of 'twindemic' prior to holiday season with COVID-19 pill, booster vaccines in clearance

COVID-19 PLUS FLU

Experts are warning that there could be what they call a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and flu this coming winter, reported national broadcaster CBS on Monday. Millions of US children get sick with the flu every year and tens of thousands are hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

Research being presented at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference showed that pandemic precautions, like wearing masks and social distancing, helped stop the spread of flu and other common respiratory viruses last season, according to the report.

"Although each of these things is not perfect, taken together, they really are effective in preventing illness," William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was quoted as saying.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that US health officials are urging Americans to get their flu shots, warning that the flu season that didn't materialize when most of society was shut down last year could come roaring back and strain hospitals in the months ahead.

Survey data released on Thursday found that slightly more than half of American adults plan to be vaccinated against influenza. That's not much of a change from pre-pandemic surveys conducted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

"This low flu activity was likely due to the widespread implementation of COVID-19 preventive measures like masks, physical distancing and staying home," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a Thursday briefing announcing flu vaccination efforts.