Navigating the Tripledemic: JN.1, RSV, and Flu Update
The respiratory viruses are out there. Wastewater viral activity levels for COVID-19 , as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have reached the highest point since the Omicron surge in 2022. The levels are also high in Canada . The three primary respiratory illnesses continue to circulate at very high levels. But despite the triple threat of SARS-Cov-2, respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ) and the flu , there is a notable lack of community attention. JN.1 (Pirola, BA.2.86 , with additional L455S mutation, descending from a de-escalated variant of concern BA.2), initially detected on August 25 2023, has evolved from a variant under monitoring to a variant of interest. Variants like Acrux (XBB.2.3, that began to spread worldwide soon after WHO declared the end of the pandemic) are no longer relevant , but a few now less prevalent variants such as Centaurus (BA.2.75) and XBB, a hybrid of Centaurus wit...