COVID plus flu and RSV spike places Bay Space hospitals beneath pressure
Bay Space well being officers mentioned Wednesday {that a} substantial enhance in influenza and different respiratory virus exercise because the begin of the month has led to elevated emergency room visits and is straining techniques. well being within the area.
“That is the primary yr the place we’re not solely coping with COVID, but additionally with elevated influenza exercise and unusually excessive ranges of RSV,” mentioned Santa Clara County Deputy Well being Officer Dr. Sarah Rudman. , throughout a press briefing. “These are two different sorts of viruses that may additionally presumably trigger the identical respiratory signs as COVID, however may also trigger extreme respiratory sickness – even deadly sickness.”
The Santa Clara County Well being Division mentioned the proportion of emergency room visits for flu-like sickness is thrice larger this yr than it was in the course of the 2019-20 flu season, earlier than the onset of the flu. COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the company launched a sewage knowledge dashboard to observe the county’s flu focus — one of many first of its sort in the USA.
The software, which is broadly used to observe coronavirus ranges, serves as an early warning system for hospitals and healthcare techniques.
“Proper now, sewage is exhibiting rising ranges of flu in each a part of our county — in each sewer we monitor,” Rudman mentioned.
Bay Space youngsters’s hospitals are seeing a rise in instances of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a standard viral sickness that may trigger respiratory issues in infants and younger youngsters, in addition to the aged. It is a part of a nationwide surge that has significantly worsened in some elements of the nation.
On Monday, California well being officers reported the primary demise of a kid beneath age 5 contaminated with influenza and RSV. The state’s public well being division has not disclosed the place the demise occurred. and it isn’t recognized which virus precipitated the demise.
“We have seen a pointy enhance in all of our RSV instances,” mentioned Dr. Vidya Mony, a pediatric infectious illness specialist at Santa Clara Valley Medical Heart, throughout Wednesday’s briefing. “For those who have a look at plenty of curves, it is nearly linear. That is much more than we have seen in a couple of years. »
UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospitals is seeing “very excessive volumes” of respiratory sicknesses, together with RSV, mentioned chief medical officer Dr. Joan Zoltanski.
“As quickly as a mattress opens proper now, there’s somebody ready to take that mattress,” she mentioned. “Within the emergency room we’ve got plenty of sufferers, and the sufferers who’re there with no need very pressing care are ready a lot, for much longer than regular.”
On Wednesday, Tamalpais Pediatrics, which has a number of clinics in Marin County, despatched a discover to its prospects saying, “We’re experiencing an unprecedented quantity of calls, portal messages and visits.
Dr Nelson Branco of Tamalpais Pediatrics mentioned his workplaces usually get 200 to 300 calls and 100 to 120 visits on a Monday right now of yr. The apply acquired greater than 500 calls on Monday and is seeing 170 to 180 sufferers a day this week, these for same-day care largely for respiratory sicknesses, Branco mentioned.
“A number of weeks in the past it was excessive. Now it is to a degree I’ve by no means seen in over 25 years of apply,” Branco mentioned.
The amount hasn’t been equal to instances of extra critical infections, Branco mentioned, however “the few that we needed to ship to the hospital, we had a tough time discovering a spot for them.”
Branco famous that after an early spike in RSV instances, the apply has seen extra flu instances over the previous week or two.
“Those that are sickest in our workplace, in any respect ages, have examined constructive for influenza,” he mentioned.
“Over the previous two weeks, each in our inpatient and outpatient settings, we’ve got seen a big enhance within the variety of sufferers,” Mony mentioned. “The predominant trigger of those hospitalizations is secondary to respiratory viruses, significantly RSV.”
RSV instances dropped dramatically in 2020, the primary yr of the pandemic. However they surged final summer season as COVID restrictions eased. Whereas this yr’s rise obtained off to a slower begin, constructive assessments lately topped numbers this time final yr, in response to knowledge from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Mony added: “I’ve additionally seen a rise in COVID-19 infections in our pediatric sufferers over the previous two weeks.”
Whereas flu and COVID-19 vaccines are broadly accessible, there are not any vaccines accessible to forestall RSV. Well being officers are as a substitute urging Bay Space residents to observe measures which are additionally curbing the unfold of COVID-19 — washing palms typically, carrying masks indoors and holding sick individuals at dwelling. as a lot as attainable.
“Whereas all of those viruses can typically trigger milder sickness in most older youngsters or younger adults, they’re all significantly harmful for our youngest youngsters, older grownup members of our group, and folks with disabilities. ‘different medical points,’ Rudman mentioned. “Proper now, we’re already seeing these illnesses strike our youngest youngsters.”
Aidin Vaziri and Matt Kawahara are the editors of the San Francisco Chronicle. E-mail: avaziri@sfchronicle.com; mkawahara@sfchronicle.com
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