How to manage the tripledemic and holiday plans

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Before gathering with friends and family for Thanksgiving, now might be the time to make a plan with all of the viruses and sickness floating around.

As many families in metro Atlanta plan a holiday weekend, doctors are asking people to be vigilant in the face of an ongoing “tripledemic” with a rise of cases of RSV, the flu, and COVID-19.

Dr. Jayne Morgan, Infectious Disease Expert with Piedmont Healthcare, says she expects those numbers are underreported with more people choosing at-home tests.

“I think we are expecting actually that we are going to have a peak and I think this is going to be unavoidable,” said Morgan.

Last year, COVID-19 levels peaked after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday weekends. The latest CDC data for cases in Georgia shows about 3,800 COVID-19 cases, 290 PCR detections for RSV, and 1,131 positive flu tests.

Dr. Morgan recommends wearing masks while preparing and serving food, getting tested before gathering, and reducing exposure before gathering.

“Have your windows open, and have air circulating. They don’t have to be wide open, but they need to be cracked and have ventilation... advise your guests ahead of time to bring a sweater to wear in the house,” said Dr. Morgan.

She encourages people to get vaccinated before the holidays.

“In 2023, we may be phasing out access to these vaccines as far as free access. So if your budget is any type of motivating factor time to get these vaccines as well, they’re still available and free in 2022,” said Dr. Morgan.

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