Avera Medical Minute: Watching for the triple threat of COVID, flu and RSV

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - The tripledemic, COVID, flu and RSV, are all making the rounds this year. Brian Allen spoke with Liz Healy, an infection control specialist at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton about what to be careful for.

“For me, there’s general concern about all three,” said Healy. “I will certainly say that when I had infants at home I was very worried about RSV. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine at this time that is available, so you really have to do your due diligence. Make sure you’re not allowing people who are ill to come in and take care of your infant or visit your infant.”

Another concern has been long COVID.

“Long COVID is really going to be our next pandemic in a way,” said Healy. “There are anywhere, estimates, from three to seventeen million Americans that suffer from some sort of long COVID. Certainly in our physical therapy and rehabilitation we are seeing an increase in patients that have weakness. They may have cognitive issues such as brain fogginess, fatigue. Persistent fatigue, I believe, is the number one long COVID symptom that people are suffering from.”

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