Prospect of multi-disease pandemic has doctors worried about winter

Prospect of multi-disease pandemic this winter has doctors worried

With fall arriving and a predicted surge in COVID-19 cases by doctors, there are worries that the country will face a multi-disease pandemic of COVID, flu, and other illnesses. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports.

PHOENIX - As the country heads into the fall, doctors across the country are already predicting another big surge in COVID-19 cases. On top of that, they are also predicting a higher than average risk for flu infections.

Doctors with the Mayo Clinic say 20 months of this pandemic is really wearing the medical system down, and taking a toll on mental health. The next few months are going to be very busy, as they deal with new COVID and flu hospitalizations, as well as delivering vaccines, now that they are providing the first, second, and (for some) third doses of COVID-19 shots, as well as the annual flu vaccine.

Dr. Gregory Poland with the Mayo Clinic says it is very safe to get both the flu show and the COVID-19 shot at the same time, and many people should consider it. People may even be eligible to get more, like a shingles or pneumonia jab at the same time. He said he is not worried about a double pandemic, but a multi-pandemic, as medical officials say the data is already predicting this year to be bad for seasonal colds, the flu, RSV, and COVID-19.

"We have already seen more influenza cases than we did all of last year, but remember, most Americans wore a mask last year. What's worrisome is that so far, ten novel influenza viruses have been detected in the U.S. This is not a good sign," said Dr. Poland.

The flu season in 2020 was almost non-existent, because doctors say people were masked up, stayed socially distant, and stayed home. The cdc reported almost 2,000 cases of influenza A and B, compared to 38 million to 56 million the year before.