Viral respiratory season is set to ramp up in the coming weeks and already, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is projecting this year will be a repeat of last.

While health officials still don’t know what this season is going to look like, the CDC is projecting that the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and RSV could place a significant strain on the nation’s healthcare system during the colder months.

Since the beginning of August, Colorado has seen an increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19, and state health officials can’t say for sure whether that’s going to level out and decline before we see another winter increase, or if we’re just going to continue to see a gradual increase into the winter season.

Read more at Denver 7.

September 15 marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual reminder and chance to honor the countless contributions made by members of the Hispanic community to the United States. This is always an opportunity both for celebration and reflection.

A great deal of important work must keep moving forward to tackle inequities in access to care and improve patient outcomes in Hispanic communities. This challenge is not only present in the long-term but must also be kept in mind and addressed now as we come up on both RSV as well as flu season. Furthermore, in this post-pandemic world, new strains of COVID remain concerning in this new normal.

Read more at Bio.News.

With kids back in school, COVID hospitalizations on the rise across the country and flu season right around the corner, health experts say now is the time to get young people vaccinated.

In addition to COVID-19 and flu, another respiratory virus, RSV, is also circulating, according to Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a primary care pediatrician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.

“Most kids are going back to school, or have already been back in school for several weeks and, unfortunately, we are starting to see viruses that are circulating at the same time,” Bracho-Sanchez told “Good Morning America.” “This is definitely the time you want to make sure your children are protected against these serious respiratory viruses.”

Read more at ABC News

Moderna said Wednesday that its experimental mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine generated a stronger immune response against four strains of the flu virus than a currently marketed vaccine in a Phase 3 study, paving the way for the company to discuss a path to approval with regulators.

The experimental shot, dubbed mRNA-1010, was compared with a currently approved seasonal flu vaccine from GSK called Fluarix. The results are from an interim analysis and were disclosed in a company news release Wednesday morning.

The announcement doesn’t come in time to affect this year’s flu season as the vaccine still needs to go through the regulatory approval process.

Read more at CNN

The CDC’s Bridge Access Program will help provide COVID-19 vaccines to the 25-30 million adults without insurance for a limited time.

As pandemic emergency funding winds down, many Americans without insurance are wondering if they can get the new recommended COVID-19 booster shot for free. 

While most insurance plans will cover all out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 vaccines, there is a temporary program that will provide free vaccines for a limited time to anyone underinsured or without health insurance.

Read more at KSDK

The recommendation clears the way for recipients 6 months and older to receive the vaccine at no cost.

CDC Director Mandy Cohen has endorsed a recommendation that anyone above 6 months of age get an updated Covid shot this fall, following a 13-1 vote from its vaccine advisers earlier on Tuesday.

“We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from Covid-19,” Cohen said in a statement, adding that the CDC recommendation will help protect all Americans from severe disease.

Read more at Politico

In a finding that should ease the minds of Americans ahead of another flu season, this year’s vaccines have already cut the risk of hospitalization in half during the South American winter, health officials report.

Even better, the flu virus strains that have been detected in the United States have so far shown a similar pattern to those in South America, although that could still change.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report is based on nearly 3,000 patients who were hospitalized in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay between late March and early July. It was published Sept. 8 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Read more at U.S. News

Scientists have produced the first data indicating that a variant that has raised alarm is unlikely to pose a big new COVID-19 threat.

Four preliminary laboratory studies released over the weekend found that antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations appear capable of neutralizing the variant, known as BA.2.86.

“It is reassuring,” says Dr. Dan Barouch, who conducted one of the studies at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Read more at NPR.

As temperatures cool, the risks of respiratory illness rise. This year, there are more vaccine options to consider that are designed to prevent serious illness from flu, COVID and RSV.

“All three are, in general, strongly recommended for the populations they’re intended for,” said Dr. Payal Patel, an infectious disease physician at Intermountain Health in Utah.

After last winter’s flu, COVID and RSV tripledemic threatened public health and the stability of the U.S. health care system, doctors are urging virtually everyone to get vaccinated against the flu and for people to talk to their health care providers about whether the newly available RSV vaccine or upcoming COVID booster is right for them.

Read more at PBS.

All signs so far point to a relatively average respiratory virus season in Colorado, but, with three major threats instead of two, that could still cause some strain in the health care system.

Last year, the flu season was moderate, and while COVID-19 still caused significant numbers of hospitalizations, it didn’t rival the gigantic waves in the first two winters of the pandemic. Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, roared back, though, overcrowding children’s hospitals and forcing them to take steps like treating teenagers in adult settings.

Read more at The Denver Post.