The RSV leg of the so-called tripledemic is hitting seniors at an alarming rate, putting nursing home staff on alert for an infection that manifests itself similarly to the other two legs, flu and COVID-19.
The hospitalization rate for seniors with RSV is about 6 of every 100,000 — or about 10 times higher than pre-COVID days, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts blame the lowering of caution as COVD restrictions loosen. The same safety measures used during the pandemic are effective against flu and RSV — when put in practice.
“What we are seeing is very concerning,” Swati Gaur, MD, told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Tuesday. “It’s already surpassed the peak RSV activity in years when we weren’t wearing masks. We don’t know where that peak is going to end up.”
Gaur is the medical director for two nursing homes in Georgia. She says RSV is particularly dangerous because there is currently no therapeutic drug for it, such as Paxlovid for COVID.
“Prevention is the key,” she said. Lessons learned about keeping COVID out of long-term care communities should be used to help keep flu and RSV at bay, Gaur said.
Staff members should not let down their guard with masks and hand sanitizing and washing, she emphasized. And because RSV is in the test panel for flu and COVID, testing should be done if community levels are high.
Infection preventionists are on especially high alert. Federal officials are predicting a flu season far more dangerous than the past few years and many experts expect a COVID variant or two to rise as more people spend time inside, and in close proximity for holiday gatherings.
One of the reasons healthcare professionals objected so strongly to federal health officials’ loosening of mask restrictions in the fall was because it coincided with the onset of viral infection season, pointed out Amy Stewart, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, vice president of education and certification strategy for the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing.
“I do see RSV as a threat along with COVID and flu,” she told McKnight’s. “Imagine all of this and no masks and visitors; it could look differently than during COVID when we had masks and more isolation. It could be devastating for residents. Especially those with heart and lung issues. We can all help by getting up-to-date with COVID vaccines and getting the flu vaccine.”
