Three鈥檚 a Crowd鈥hat to Know this Flu, COVID, & RSV Season
In upstate New York, the colder months usually bring a spike in viral illnesses like COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. As we barrel towards the thick of winter, there are things you can do to keep you and your family healthy.
Dr. David Dobrzynski, an infectious disease expert with UR Medicine, answers your questions about vaccines, symptoms, and more.
Can I get all three vaccines at the same time?
If you鈥檙e eligible for all three vaccines鈥擟OVID, flu, and RSV鈥攜ou may wonder whether to get them all at once or space them out. The answer depends on you!
Are you interested in participating in our clinical trial?
The 麻豆视频's RSV Clinical Trial aims to evaluate the combined use of two FDA-approved drugs to optimize RSV prevention in infants. This study is open to pregnant individuals aged 18 to 45, with visits lasting over 14 months. Participation is at no cost, and compensation is provided for study visits.
to necessary research that could potentially help protect infants from RSV.
While it is safe to do so, some people might feel unwell after receiving more than one vaccine at once. Dr. Dobrzynski recommends speaking to your primary care doctor about whether to get more than one vaccine at once.
Does the flu shot cover RSV?
No. Each vaccine only protects against its respective virus. A flu shot will not protect against COVID-19 or RSV; and so on. For the best protection, get each vaccine or booster you're eligible for.
Who should get the flu vaccine?
Everyone should get the flu vaccine to protect themselves and others during the fall or winter.
Is it ever too late to get your annual flu shot?
It鈥檚 never too late to get your flu shot.
鈥淲e strongly encourage people to get annual flu shots, COVID boosters, and the RSV vaccine if eligible. Despite potential feelings of vaccine fatigue, our community members should resume normal practices of getting flu vaccines every year,鈥� said Infectious Disease specialist Angela Branche, MD.
Who should get the COVID vaccine?
Everyone should strongly consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and others from severe disease. The vaccines were recently updated to include the recently circulating variant to help provide better protection.
Updated versions of the COVID-19 vaccine are available. Infectious disease experts Angela Branche, MD, Ann Falsey, MD, and Ed Walsh, MD, joined WXXI to discuss vaccine efficacy and virus mutations.
Who should get the RSV vaccine?
Currently, the RSV vaccine is recommended for people over 60 years of age with an increased risk of disease (those with heart and lung disease or immunocompromised) and everyone over 75 years of age."We also recommend pregnant patients receive the vaccine during weeks 32-36 of pregnancy from Sept-Jan," said Dr. Dobrzynski. While you can get the RSV vaccine at any time of the year, late summer/early fall is best.
Do babies need the RSV vaccine?
In 2023, a new RSV immunization called nirsevimab was made available for infants. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that the vaccine is given during the first 8 months of life to protect infants.
Nirsevimab is given to all infants born in the hospital during respiratory virus season, running from October to March. Parents of children 0-8 months who have not received the vaccine can also ask their pediatrician for availability.
What's the difference between RSV, flu, and COVID symptoms?
If you have symptoms, what should you do?
The symptoms of all three illnesses are quite similar, making many ask: Is it COVID, flu, or RSV? While symptoms vary from person to person, some symptoms are much more common in one virus or another.
If you come down with symptoms of flu, COVID-19, or RSV, the most important thing to remember is to avoid close contact with others and stay away from gatherings.
Can you be sick with all three illnesses at once?
Talk about uninvited鈥s it possible to have influenza, COVID-19, and RSV all at the same time?
While getting two or three of all three respiratory viruses at the same time is fairly rare, it is technically possible. In general, people only come down with one at a time.
Do we still need to worry about COVID?
Cases of COVID-19 continue to circulate throughout our community. We've seen increasing COVID-19 cases locally throughout the past summer months, and expect to continue to see local increases across the country throughout the winter.
Be sure to get boosted for COVID-19 if you are due. If you recently had COVID-19, the CDC says to consider waiting three months before getting the COVID booster. If you are feeling ill from COVID-19, there are options for symptom relief.鈥淐all your primary care physician to discuss Paxlovid or molnupiravir. Both medications are more widely available than they once were,鈥� said Dr. Branche.
If you have additional questions, reach out to your primary care physician or
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