NORFOLK, Va. — An anticipated post-holiday viral surge could be on the way as thousands of Americans come back from Thanksgiving and prepare for Christmas festivities.
Specifically, doctors are most worried about what is being called a 'triple threat' of illnesses which includes the flu, RSV, and COVID. Pediatrician, Cami Jordan, says it can be difficult to detect in children.
"Especially with COVID cases, those can be hard to nail down," says Jordan. "I've seen kids running around my office who I said 'oh no way they have COVID and then sure enough they do."
Jordan says a spike in viral infections is nothing new, but the rate at which infections are spreading is concerning.
"Children have not been exposed to these bugs so all of a sudden they are all over the place," says Jordan. "Our usual algorithms and things we use to predict when illnesses are going to appear - those are all thrown out the window now."
It is even possible for a child or an individual to become sick with all three illnesses at the same time. This can lead to a back-log of patients and an overwhelmed workforce.
"You hear about all the pediatricians who are basically dying on the vine, they are exhausted, they are overwhelmed, they can not see enough patients because kids are really sick," said Jordan.
Instead, Jordan said families must remain vigilant in watching their children for any symptoms, to encourage everyone to keep washing their hands, and to use common sense for when symptoms first start to appear.