The ‘Tripledemic’ Explained

This winter, three major respiratory viruses — respiratory syncytial virus or R.S.V., the flu and the coronavirus — are poised to collide in the United States in what some health officials are calling a “tripledemic.”

What does this collision have to do with our response to the coronavirus pandemic, and why are children so far the worst affected?

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• Most cases of Covid, flu and R.S.V. are likely to be mild, but together they may sicken millions of Americans and swamp hospitals, public health experts warned.

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