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Date: 11/2/2023
WESTFIELD — Three respiratory illnesses tend to spike in winter, and now is the time to get vaccinated, said Dr. Sundeep “Sunny” Shukla, chief of emergency medicine at Baystate Noble Hospital.
Shukla said he expects to see more cases of COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus — RSV — in the coming months. All three have vaccines.
“You can protect your loved ones by getting it now,” he said.
Shukla said there has been a recent increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19. Patients tend to be either immunocompromised or have other risk factors, such as asthma or diabetes. Hospitalized patients have symptoms of sore throat, shortness of breath, fever and fatigue.
COVID-19 patients tend to be a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Vaccinated people who are hospitalized, Shukla said, tend not to have received a bivalent booster. Bivalent boosters protect against the original strains of COVID from 2020, and strains prevalent as recent as a few months ago.
The most recent booster shot is monovalent. It protects people against strains XBB.1.5 and EG.5, the latter of which is most prominently circulating.
The hospital periodically sees people with RSV. It is more common during RSV season, spiking in December, January and February. Shukla attributes this to people being in close spaces, around other people.
“It’s harder to protect yourself at times,” he said.
Symptoms of an RSV infection include runny nose, congestion, cough and sneezing.
RSV infections can be serious in people at age extremes, such as newborns and people over 60. Mild cases will resolve themselves in a week or two, said Shukla. In vulnerable populations, infections can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis. It can cause inflammation in the lungs. Infection can lead to hospitalizations due to causing hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation. Patients sometimes need oxygen treatments to bring their levels back to normal.
The hospital takes in patients each year for flu, too, often those with comorbidities.
Shukla said the hospital is seeing more respiratory infections due to adjustments in behavior since the coronavirus pandemic started. People are engaging in activities and hanging out with each other again. Precautions people have taken the past few years have been adjusted to fit new guidance.
For all three illnesses — COVID-19, RSV and the flu — Shukla recommends wearing a mask, having good hygiene, and preventing the spread of respiratory droplets. This can be done by coughing or sneezing into a sleeve, not onto other people. If sick, Shukla recommends staying home.
Shukla recommends eligible patients getting the vaccines for all three diseases now, or within the next month, to guard against the spike that occurs during the winter.
The COVID-19 and flu vaccines are available for people over the age of 6 months. The FDA has approved the RSV vaccine for adults over the age of 60. Studies are still being conducted on whether the RSV vaccine benefits other people. Shukla recommends discussing it with a physician. He believes it’s a good idea to take if a person has significant risk factors.
For people over the age of 65, there is a “high-dose fluzone quadrivalent” vaccine that betters the immune response to flu over that age. A regular flu vaccine is available that helps prevent hospitalization or severe illness. While people with egg allergies were previously told to be cautious of flu vaccines, this year no medical monitoring is recommended.
Shukla said all vaccines can be taken together. Vaccines should be taken in both arms to avoid significant soreness on one arm. Doing so will still provide a good immune response.
Health care offices are good at dealing with scared children, Shukla said. Children can be distracted from the needle by reading a book or watching a video on an iPad. Talking about what reward they get afterwards, like a sticker or candy, can also help quell any anxiety.
Shukla emphasized that vaccines are safe and effective.
“They’ve been studied and they help save lives and prevent severe illness,” he said. “Taking these preventive measures can really go a long way.”
Vaccines are available at local pharmacies and primary care physician offices. Locations that offer vaccines can be found at vaccines.gov.