Infectious disease experts have reported an earlier and harsher than usual RSV and flu season, partly because the COVID-19 pandemic health measures in previous years protected against those viruses as well.
“Right now everyone is razor focused on kind of what's happening in our pediatric hospitals,” said Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network in Toronto.
Although data on current RSV admissions by age groupis limited, doctors are already starting to see "a growing number" of adults admitted to hospital for RSV, along with influenza and COVID-19, Sinha said. That's because a child's first RSV infection tends to make them the sickest and then they have some immunity over the course of their life. But that ability to mount a strong immune response and fight off infection declines among seniors, she said.
"Our big concern right now is that we know the actual burden of disease, annually, tends to be the greatest when it comes to RSV amongst older people. That's where we see the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths occur," he said. Families may decide to protect seniors by minimizing contact with vulnerable seniors during this surge in respiratory illnesses, but that won't be realistic when the holidays arrive, Bowdish said.
In addition, Pfizer has notified Health Canada that it is planning to submit two RSV vaccine candidates for consideration: one for seniors and one for pregnant women, the statement said.
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