Forget the ‘tripledemic.’ The U.S. is headed for a ‘syndemic’—and experts warn we’re not prepared

EMTs transfer a patient in the busy ambulance bay at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Md., on Dec. 12. The hospital is operating at above its normal capacity because of a surge in a variety of illnesses like RSV, flu, and COVID. (Credit: Suzanne Kreiter—The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

COVID will likely reach levels in December not yet seen this year, combining with surges of flu, RSV, and other pathogens for a winter not so different from last year’s “tripledemic,” experts say.

Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Fortune that the U.S. is a “sitting duck” in the face of a “syndemic” winter.