The United States could face COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surges simultaneously this winter – dubbed by some doctors as a "tripledemic," as more professionals are leaving the healthcare sector for work with better pay and less burnout, CBS reported.

Continuously reducing medical labor has burdened the U.S. healthcare system, which is already short of labor after nearly three years of COVID-19. 

Some 330,000 medical professionals dropped out of the labor force in 2021, CBS reported, citing healthcare commercial intelligence company Definitive Healthcare. 

Hospitals in 33 U.S. states are seeing a dramatic rise in RSV, CBS reported in a separate report last week. 

RSV causes cold-like symptoms. Despite there being a vaccine available for the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it can be serious in infants and older adults.

Given the vulnerability of very young children to the virus, a spike in RSV cases has overwhelmed pediatric hospitals lately. 

"It's an even more difficult situation, [with] even more understaffing, so then even more people get burned out and leave," CBS cited its medical contributor, Dr. Celine Gounder, as saying. 

COVID threats remain

In its third year of haunting global public health, COVID-19 and its consequential problems have not shown signs of retreat. 

More variants of the coronavirus have emerged, and some of them were found to be more transmissible and very immune evasive, despite being less severe.

Read more: Cases of BQ.1, BQ.1.1 COVID variants double in U.S. as Europe warns of rise

Long COVID, a condition where some people recovering from COVID-19 continue to experience symptoms including fatigue and shortness of breath, is disabling millions of Americans from work and increasing patients' needs for medical resources. 

Read more: Burdens of long-haul symptoms to COVID-19 survivors

U.S. top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has urged Americans to stay cautious as there's always a "risk of an uptick" in winter, adding that "we shouldn't be surprised" if another new, more transmissible variant emerges.

Read more: U.S. may face new COVID wave this upcoming winter: report

(Cover via CFP)