A New Survey Shows That Many Americans Don’t Take Respiratory Illnesses Seriously
For years, there has been talk about the so-called “tripledemic” of RSV, COVID-19 and the flu. When life largely went back to normal after the pandemic began, cases of RSV and the flu surged as COVID-19 cases continued to crop up. Now, respiratory virus season usually means people across the country will face a wave of all three of these viruses. Despite this, a new survey conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center shows that many Americans don’t really care.
The survey, which polled more than 1,000 adults in the U.S., found that 35% are not concerned about a rise in respiratory virus cases. The survey also found that 66% believe that they will get better quickly if they came down with the flu or COVID-19, and about 33% think they don’t need to get vaccines for the flu or COVID-19 if they’re not considered high risk for serious complications from the illnesses.
Doctors are finding these results concerning, stating that it’s important to understand how people are thinking about and feeling about protecting themselves and others from respiratory viruses.
Many people seem to be unbothered by the potential health risks of getting these viruses, and doctors say they’re not shocked. People have learned to calculate risk more over the course of the pandemic and have started to apply that to respiratory viruses. Additionally, many understand that RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 are endemic, which means that these viruses are not going away.
However, experts are worried about the public’s general attitude toward these viruses. Even though public health is said to be in the “best spot” since the pandemic began, there are still a significant amount of people who are facing severe outcomes from these viruses, with COVID-19 causing an average of 2.5% of deaths in the U.S. each week. The flu can cause up to 52,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, and RSV is responsible for up to 10,000 deaths in adults over the age of 65 annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As such, doctors stress the importance of getting vaccinated for the flu and COVID, and taking necessary precautions such as wearing masks and washing hands frequently to prevent the spread of these viruses. While the public may be feeling pandemic fatigue, it’s important to remain vigilant in protecting oneself from respiratory illnesses.