Local health experts are warning about the possibility of a 'tridemic,' with cases of COVID-19, the flu and RSV all rising at the same time.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus causes a cold in adults, but can cause a deep lung infection in younger children. The younger a patient is, the worse the virus can be. It's the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1.

Dr. Robert Klugman at UMass Memorial Health said while RSV is typically more severe in children, it can easily be spread to older age groups.

Pediatric cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are on the rise at UMass Memorial Health, as hospitals nationwide reportedly grapple with the illness. 

Meanwhile, UMass Chan Medical School is participating in a clinical trial of a new flu vaccine developed by Pfizer that could boost effectiveness, compared to the standard influenza vaccine. 

According to a CBS Boston report, doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center were able to save the pair, though the woman, 63-year-old Kam Look, had to have a liver transplant. Dr. Stephanie Carreiro greeted Kai and Look when they arrived at UMass Memorial. She told CBS, “When they came in, they were both very ill and had signs of liver damage, and Kam actually had signs of kidney damage as well from the mushrooms.”  

Kai Chen, 27, and his mother, Kam Look, 63, were both suffering from severe, life-threatening liver damage when they arrived at the hospital on Sept. 21, according to officials at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

A Worcester man reunited Monday with the caregivers at UMass Memorial Medical Center who saved his life.

Two weeks ago, Irineo Benitez's wife called the hospital's patient access center to schedule an appointment. During the call, the scheduler realized the call was more serious as she learned that Benitez was experiencing chest pain. The call was transferred to a nurse who said he needed an ambulance immediately.

 It's approximately 4 feet tall, has expressive eyes and a childlike voice that will melt your heart. 

Its name is Robin, and it's the newest caregiver in pediatrics at UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus. 

Actually, Robin’s full name is Robin the Robot, and it's the only one of its kind currently working in Massachusetts and on the East Coast.  

There is widespread concern about what the pandemic is doing to the mental health of adolescents. In Worcester, a new school-based program aims to address the issue. UMass Memorial Health’s Community Healthlink C.A.R.E.S. Club (Create. Achieve. Respect. Elevate. Succeed) expanded to Worcester East Middle school. Community Healthlink will mentor students and provide counseling, along with academic help.

Dr. Eric Dickson, chief executive of UMass Memorial Health Care, said these factors make the timing of the latest COVID wave particularly tough. “As we started to see this uptick, we were really overwhelmed trying to catch up with a lot of work that had been put off for the last two years [and] dealing with staffing challenges,” he said. “We were starting from a position of weakness in health care, and then you're laying this on top of it.”

UMass Memorial Health has also delivered approximately 8,000 courses of either Paxlovid or the monoclonal antibody therapy bebtelovimab since last July — almost 2,000 of which were delivered since April 10. It also hosts clinics for Evusheld for patients on Saturdays. Dr. Eric Dickson, CEO of UMass Memorial Health, said the health system has expanded the number of monoclonal antibody treatments it can deliver in a day, to 45 to 48 appointments. The center has been operating at maximum capacity for the last five weeks, as the latest surge began.