‘Strikes like clockwork’: U of A research pinpoints respiratory illness pattern in babies
“From a high year of infection, there is a large number of people with immunity going into the next season, which means low levels of infection. But a low infection year would be followed by low levels of immunity and high levels of disease in the subsequent year — an alternating pattern based on transient immunity.
Hawkes says by understanding the seasonal patterns, it has the potential to allow health-care providers to “ramp up” RSV immunizations along with pushing out more public health messaging surrounding measures like handwashing.“ also help with planning: how many nurses and beds we are going to need in a given year.
“Based on the implications of our work, the health-care system should prepare for a wave,” Hawkes said. “COVID-19, like its cousins, is a respiratory virus and is likely to follow similar patterns as these other six viruses, so we could expect winter peaks and summer lows for COVID going forward, under natural conditions, without vaccine intervention.”At-home COVID-19 rapid test kits now available for k-6 Alberta schools with outbreaks
Hawkes noted that while the coronaviruses the researchers studied are responsible for less serious illnesses like the common cold and flu, the findings could potentially help hospitals brace for future seasonal waves of COVID-19 or other emerging pathogens.