Health experts in conundrum over best way to avoid winter ‘tripledemic’

RSV, Covid-19 and flu cases are exploding, but many health officials aren't forcing masks or discouraging in-person gatherings

Dr Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at St Louis children's hospital, is just waiting for his cold to start. I can list off about 10 people right now that have had some sort of illness in the past five days," Newland said.

That's because the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza seasons started months earlier than usual, amid the continuing spread of Covid-19 and the common cold. The flu hospitalization rate is the highest it's been in a decade, according to public health officials. Scientists have described the collision of viruses as a tripledemic".