According to January 31, 2025 data posted by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health’s Respiratory Virus Surveillance Team (responsible for generating weekly reports), while cases of COVID-19, Influenza (the flu), and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) all increased during December 2024, they began to come down in early January of this year—except for RSV which has remained steady.
Though compared to this time last year, cases of RSV are lower.
In a Jan. 5 report from Cedars Sinai, “As the new year kicks into full swing, so has a trio of respiratory viruses, creating a so-called tripledemic. The flu, COVID-19 and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are sending more people to the doctor’s office—or even the hospital—and sometimes combining to make matters worse.”
“We’ve had patients come into our clinics testing positive for both COVID and flu,” said Caroline Goldzweig, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Network. “Having one doesn’t protect you from the other.”
While it’s true that flu cases plummeted during the pandemic reportedly as a result of coronavirus measures—like everyone staying home, washing their hands often, and wearing masks—”compared to last season, this respiratory season has involved a higher-than-normal amount of influenza cases with fewer COVID and RSV cases,” said Sonia Singh, Communications and Marketing Manager at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
“According to TGEN’s COVID-19 sequencing dashboard—all strains detected in Arizona this season through mid-December 2024 have been variants of the Omicron strain,” Singh said.
Omicron is not a separate disease from COVID-19 but a mutated strain of the same virus (SARS-CoV-2) that caused COVID-19.
Looking at influenza-like illnesses in Maricopa County hospitals and urgent care facilities (likely the most severe cases) on the Respiratory Virus Surveillance page, shows that this season’s case numbers are slightly higher so far than last season and noticeably higher than the five-season average.
According to Singh, higher risk of severe illness from RSV can be seen, “In older adults, infants, and individuals with underlying medical conditions.”
Respiratory Virus Surveillance Data for the year shows that rates of influenza are highest among children under age 5.
A vaccine is available for adults and pregnant women and there are options available to protect infants.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health encourages everyone older than 6 months to get the flu and COVID vaccine, as well as any other immunizations recommended by their providers. Wash hands with soap and water. Wear a mask if sick. These measures combined can protect against infections and reduce severity of symptoms.
