I’ve been busy with work and university so blogging has taken a bit of a backseat this month but I will continue in 2023 to finish the remaining terms that have entered the pandemic vocabulary. This will be my last post for 2022 and I wish you all a happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.
Today’s word in the pandemic lexicon is “tripledemic” (also known as tri-demic) and it first appeared in Google Trends during the week of October 23, 2022. I’ve heard it mentioned several times while watching the news. Just a few months ago I was blogging about the twindemic. Dictionary.com published a definition for tripledemic this week:
Tripledemic is an informal term referring to a simultaneous increase in cases of COVID-19, influenza (the flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (commonly known as RSV).
The similar term twindemic has been used to refer to a (potential) simultaneous large-scale outbreak of the flu and COVID-19. Both twindemic and tripledemic refer to spread among a population (not necessarily the presence of multiple diseases in the same people at the same time). Though both words are used by some health and medical officials, they are both informal terms (as opposed to technical terms used in the field of epidemiology).
Dictionary.com
A news report published last week for CNBC.com says that “most Americans aren’t wearing face masks anymore – and their timing isn’t great, says a leading infectious disease expert…At the same time, Covid-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all spreading at alarming rates, overwhelming hospitals nationwide. Covid alone currently accounts for 386 deaths per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” (Onque).
An article published yesterday for WJAC.com reported that Labcorp has produced a new at home test called “The Pixel” which can detect Covid, Influenza and R.S.V simultaneously (Jarrell). To learn more about ordering this test, click here.
Last month Scripps Health interviewed Dr. Siu Ming Geary about the tripledemic. You can watch the interview on YouTube here. Dr. Geary explains what the tripledemic is and provides good advice on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of flu, when to get a flu shot and how to stay healthy if someone in your home has RSV.
Social Media Trends as of December 24, 2022
Facebook #tripledemic: people are posting about this
Instagram #tripledemic: 761 posts
TikTok #tripledemic: 5,900,000 views
YouTube #tripledemic: less than 100 videos and channels
Google Trends: “tripledemic” first appeared during the week of October 23, 2022 and reached its peak during the week of December 11, 2022 as the number of cases of children and adults admitted to hospital suffering with flu, Covid-19 and RSV reached an all time high.
Sources:
“Brace yourself – The Tri-Demic is COMING!!!” meme. MakeAMeme. 2022. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/brace-yourself-the-781319caa4.
“Tripledemic.” Dictionary.com. December 21, 2022. URL: https://www.dictionary.com/e/tech-science/tripledemic/.
Jarrell, McKenzie. “‘Tripledemic’ at home tests now available.” WJACTV.com. December 23, 2022. URL: https://wjactv.com/news/local/tripledemic-at-home-tests-now-available.
Onque, Renée. “You really should mask up again, says infectious disease expert: The tripledemic is hitting ‘too fast and too furious’.” CNBC.com. December 22, 2022. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/22/covid-flu-rsv-tripledemic-means-masking-up-again-says-virus-expert.html.
ScrippsHealth channel. “Tripledemic: RSV, COVID and Flu with Dr. Siu Ming Geary | San Diego Health.” YouTube. November 2022. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY7-gwh-Z1A&t=5s.