Some US Children Hospitals Overwhelmed Due To Outbreak Of Respiratory Virus - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2022) Some children hospitals in the United States are overwhelmed due to an outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), US media reported on Friday.

The Connecticut Children Hospital in the northeastern US city of Hartford has been operating at full capacity over the past few weeks due to an influx of patients with RSV, a virus that causes respiratory infections, The Hill newspaper reported, adding that medics are now negotiating with the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to install an outdoor tent to receive additional patients.

"We just don't have as many critical care beds (for children) as we have adult critical care beds simply because we don't usually need them," Dr. Juan Salazar, a physician in chief of Connecticut Children's Medical Center said, as quoted by the newspaper.

Dr. Salazar said the number of cases began to rise in early September and increased exponentially, which had not been observed before.

At New Haven Children's Hospital, RSV cases in the emergency room have nearly doubled in the past week, rising from 57 to 106, the newspaper added.

The report added that the hospital receives 30 children with RSV every day. In comparison, 1 to 3 children per day were admitted to the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Washington Post also reported that a number of hospitals are overwhelmed with RSV patients in the metropolitan District of Columbia. Hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Rhode Island are also operating with increased workload due to the RSV outbreak, NBC news reported.