Lessons from the 2024-2025 quad-demic: How providers can prepare for the next illness season

Simultaneous waves of influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus spread across the country, challenging care delivery across hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics and home health providers.

Staffing shortages, strained supply chains and unpredictable patient volumes placed enormous pressure on providers. Yet, in the midst of these challenges, clear lessons emerged — lessons that can help healthcare organizations strengthen their resilience for future seasons.

Here’s what made this season so difficult, what providers learned and how you can apply those lessons to prepare for the 2025-2026 illness season.

What made 2024-2025 so challenging?

Several factors combined to make the 2024-2025 illness season uniquely difficult for providers¹. From overlapping viral surges to unpredictable patterns of spread, healthcare teams faced a constantly shifting landscape that strained resources and tested preparedness.

Overlapping illness waves

Unlike previous seasons, flu, COVID-19, RSV and norovirus overlapped or appeared in close succession. This prolonged exposure cycle was particularly detrimental to long-term care communities, pediatric practices and home health providers who serve vulnerable populations.

Unpredictable virus behavior

RSV arrived earlier than expected, flu experienced two distinct peaks and COVID-19 variants complicated immunity patterns. Meanwhile, norovirus caused widespread gastrointestinal outbreaks, especially in congregate care settings, underscoring the need for vigilance beyond the most widely publicized illnesses.

Strained operations and resources

Staff absences due to illness, quarantines and burnout added to the operational strain. At the same time, high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfectants, testing (flu, covid, rsv, and strep) and over-the-counter medications created challenges for keeping essential products in stock.

Lessons learned across care settings

While the season brought unprecedented challenges, it also highlighted effective strategies that helped providers navigate overlapping surges and resource constraints. These lessons offer a roadmap for building stronger, more resilient care environments moving forward.

Supply chain agility matters

Facilities that adopted flexible procurement strategies were better equipped than those relying solely on just‑in‑time ordering. Contingency plans helped maintain a steady flow of essential supplies. Using data to forecast demand and diversify ordering strategies proved critical to staying ahead of surges.

Early and coordinated vaccination campaigns are essential

Clinics and care homes that planned vaccine days early, partnered with pharmacies and worked with McKesson saw higher vaccine uptake and fewer hospitalizations. Another top practice: cross-vaccinating patients for flu, COVID-19 and RSV during a single visit. McKesson’s pre-booking programs made it easier to secure vaccine supply in advance, ensuring availability when patients were ready.

Cross-training eased staffing pressures

Organizations that trained employees to take on multiple roles — whether in triage, testing or administrative support — were able to maintain smoother operations. This empowered staff to respond confidently to rapidly changing care demands.

Clear communication built patient trust

Providers who used consistent, simplified messaging across multiple channels, such as email, text messaging, signage and website banners, helped patients understand testing, isolation protocols and vaccine availability. These efforts strengthened engagement and helped reduce confusion about overlapping symptoms.

How to prepare now for 2025-2026

Building resilience for the next illness season starts with early action. By securing supplies, refining protocols and preparing teams now, providers can better protect patients, staff and operations when illness activity begins to rise. Here are key steps you can take to stay prepared.

Start supply planning early

• Consider increased demand for PPE, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, over-the-counter medications (such as fever reducers and cough suppressants) and lab testing equipment and kits.
• Analyze last season’s usage data and identify where shortages occurred to inform this year’s supply orders.

McKesson can help develop seasonal prep kits or set up automated reorder systems to help prevent last-minute shortages

Build a proactive vaccine strategy

• Plan flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccine campaigns now, especially with expanded eligibility for older adults and infants.
• Partner with local public health agencies or pharmacies to host on-site vaccination clinics.
• Work with McKesson to pre-book vaccine inventory and coordinate cross-vaccination to help improve patient uptake.

Review infection control protocols

• Refresh staff training on isolation procedures, surface disinfection and proper use of PPE.
• Update signage displayed in shared spaces to communicate infection prevention protocols clearly to patients and visitors.

Prepare for expanded testing needs

• Stock combination rapid antigen tests for COVID-19, flu, strep and RSV to support faster triage and treatment decisions.
• Help ensure team members are trained on proper test administration and interpretation.

Engage and educate your teams

• Provide staff with talking points and resources to facilitate confident answers to patient questions.
• Host pre-season training sessions to review protocols and expectations.

Innovations and trends to watch

Innovation continues to shape how providers prepare for and respond to seasonal illness. These emerging trends offer new opportunities to enhance care, strengthen operations and help improve readiness for the future

Advances in diagnostics

New multiplex tests can identify multiple pathogens² from a single sample, improving speed and efficiency in clinical decision-making.

RSV prevention updates

Long-acting monoclonal antibodies and expanded RSV vaccines for adults are changing the prevention landscape for high-risk populations.

Smarter supply forecasting

AI-driven analytics are helping some organizations better predict seasonal demand for supplies and vaccines, allowing for more accurate procurement.

Virtual care integration

Telehealth continues to help providers manage patient flow, enabling remote triage for mild illnesses and freeing up in-person resources for higher-acuity cases.

Moving forward

The 2024-2025 illness season underscored the importance of early preparation, strong communication and flexible strategies. Providers who embraced proactive planning and collaboration were better able to protect patients, staff and operations.

By applying these lessons now, organizations can help reduce the risk of disruptions and deliver consistent, high-quality care, no matter what the next season brings.

Plan ahead with McKesson

McKesson Medical-Surgical offers a wide range of seasonal support, from vaccines and rapid tests to infection prevention products and supply chain solutions. Our team can also help you develop communication strategies to keep your patients informed and engaged.

Connect with your McKesson representative today to start preparing for the 2025-2026 illness season.