Michigan Pediatric Hospitals Experiencing Capacity Issues amid RSV Surge
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Hospitals in Michigan are feeling the strain due to a recent surge of respiratory syncytial virus cases, or RSV.
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan told ABC News that it hit full capacity a few weeks ago, which has staff worried, as they also expect an influx of children coming in with flu or Covid-19 symptoms during the winter season.
"We have been 100% full. I think we're going on our sixth week, and RSV seems to have emerged earlier this year and in higher numbers this year," the hospital's chief operating officer Luanne Thomas Ewald told ABC. "And the fact that we're already full is concerning to us because we're just starting to see flu in our emergency room."
Although C.S. Mott Children's Hospital is at full capacity, Ewald told ABC that they are trying to make additional space to treat the ill children by using rooms usually reserved for other treatments like drawing blood or adding an extra stretcher in single rooms. They are also working with other community hospitals in the state to make sure that there are other options for children who need to be treated.
"Some of our community hospitals do have some pediatric beds available," Ewald said. "So we're really trying to take a statewide approach to make sure we're taking care of these kids in our state."
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They aren't the only pediatric hospital in Michigan raising the alarm bell.
The University of Michigan's Sparrow Children's Center also sent out an alert on Friday that it was experiencing a shortage of beds amid a statewide surge in RSV cases. It also said that parents should expect longer wait times at E.W. Sparrow Hospital's Emergency Department in Lansing.
The hospital noted it has seen a "daily average of 60 new cases of RSV, nearly double from this time last year," and is asking parents to do what they can to mitigate the virus, including washing their hands frequently.
Sparrow's Children's Center and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital are also asking parents to call their child's doctor first instead of heading to the hospital emergency room straight away.
"We're really trying to tell the community throughout the state of Michigan, please partner with your pediatrician," Ewald told ABC. "Let's use our urgent cares as well and only come to the emergency room when absolutely necessary."
Other states like Rhode Island, Colorado, Texas and Connecticut have seen an RSV surge over the past month, which has prompted hospitals like Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford and Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas to take precautions to ensure there are enough pediatric hospital beds available for children who need treatment.
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RSV cases are on a steep rise in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 8,000 new RSV cases were detected by PCR and antigen tests in the nation between Oct. 29 - Nov. 5.
Pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Murray told PEOPLE that the virus spreads similarly to Covid-19 with coughing and sneezing. Signs that children may have RSV include a runny nose and fever and the virus could lead to more serious symptoms like bronchitis, which is when smaller airways in the lungs become inflamed or irritated.
Murray also said that newborn infants, especially those under the age of 2, are more likely to become "critically ill" from the virus and should seek treatment as soon as possible.
