With SARS-CoV-2 still circulating and seasonal viruses, including influenza and RSV, making up for lost time during the pandemic, the US is getting slammed by respiratory illnesses. And things could get worse as more holidays and associated gatherings approach, health officials warned Monday.

“This year’s flu season is off to a rough start. Flu’s here, it started early and with COVID and RSV also circulating, it’s a perfect storm for a terrible holiday season,” Sandra Fryhofer, chair of the American Medical Association and adjunct medicine professor at Emory University School of Medicine, said in a press briefing held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today. “Over the last few years, COVID-protective measures also prevented spread of flu and other respiratory infections, but we’re really no longer in that bubble.”