As flu and other seasonal viruses continue spreading rapidly across the state, COVID-19 cases are climbing again, possibly putting Georgia on the verge of yet another winter surge of the deadly pandemic virus. The collision of RSV, flu and COVID viruses — dubbed a “tripledemic” — could overwhelm hospitals already stretched thin.
“We are used to being busy in the wintertime,” said Dr. Hugo Scornik, a local pediatrician and former president of the Georgia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We always say pediatrics is a winter sport because we are used to seeing flu cases in the winter.
“But this year has been exceptional for a number of reasons. First, the flu came early… In addition, viruses we are seeing seem to be tougher on the kids. And we hypothesize that’s because children have relatively not been exposed to these viruses over the past two years because everyone has been separate and masking due to COVID concerns.”
