What’s the outlook for this respiratory virus season? Here’s what experts say – CTV
October 14, 2025
An immunologist says Canada could follow in the footsteps of the Southern Hemisphere and see a surge in influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 cases.
However, Dawn Bowdish, who specializes in respiratory infections and vaccinations, cautions that it may be too early to forecast the upcoming cold and flu season.
Bowdish said she based her outlook on data from the Southern Hemisphere because the region tends to finish its cold and flu season around the time it begins in Canada. Canada’s respiratory virus season tends to occur from November to April, she added, though it varies by province.
“Based on predictions from the Southern Hemisphere, they had a considerable amount of all three viruses – influenza, RSV and COVID,” Bowdish, a professor in the department of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Tuesday. “So it’s reasonable to assume that that may also happen in Canada this year.”
