The U.S. health care system is a “sitting duck” in the face of a coming cluster of winter epidemics, one expert told Fortune.

COVID will likely reach levels in December not yet seen this year, combining with surges of flu, RSV, and other pathogens for a winter not so different from last year’s “tripledemic,” experts say.

Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Fortune that the U.S. is a “sitting duck” in the face of a “syndemic” winter.

It’s a term he prefers to “tripledemic,” as it acknowledges the impact of more than three pathogens on the healthcare system, and the need for policies to address the phenomenon, in addition to medical interventions.

“Strained hospital capacities, workforce exhaustion, burnout, a lack of effective therapeutic tools, poor communication, a lack of compliance [with COVID precautions], a lack of continuity planning, and the pervasive influence of social determinants of health” only make the nation’s delicate health infrastructure more fragile, he said.

  • NuXCOM_90Percent
    254·
    1 year ago

    Fuck capitalism, go unvaccinated?

    I am all for pointing out the fundamental issues with for-profit health care. But the funding of emergency vaccine research, expediting of testing and certification, and distribution of vaccines was all a pretty solid win. Its almost like we bypassed the insurance companies to provide every single person in the country with healthcare… The big problem is that we stopped.

      • NuXCOM_90Percent
        110·
        1 year ago

        So the “again” in this situation has nothing to do with the last pandemic. Which means they are arguing that there is no risk to healthcare. Aka “covid isn’t real” levels of stupidity

        You don’t have to be a rightwing chud to push the same talking points. So let’s try to be better