United States: Amid a surge in pediatric respiratory conditions, Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines faces a shortage of patient beds, as reported by KCCI.
The medical staff at the hospital are compelled to extend their working hours to cater to the escalating influx of patients afflicted with influenza, RSV, and other respiratory maladies.
According to data furnished by the CDC, incidences of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV have witnessed an increase among children below the age of four, in contrast to the previous year.
Dr Joel Waddell posits that the children’s immune systems may not have developed adequately due to limited exposure during the COVID-19 quarantine period, thereby exacerbating the severity of these cases.
Dr Waddell remarked upon the concerning trend of children between the ages of three and six requiring hospitalization due to common viruses, which are typically uncommon in pediatric cases.
In addition to this, he found that the cases of disease typically coming to an end in spring time, which are usually rounding the issue of cold and flu were still open although, obviously, this was based on the effect else of the pandemic.
Doctor Waddell still supports the idea of making vaccinations current and may be preparing the kids to be kept at home if symptoms of sickness are manifested.
Local KCRG-TV9 News asked Mercy Medical Center, UIHC, and UnityPoint Health St. Luke’s Hospital for Cedar Rapids, and they did not see such surges in hospitalized children with MIS-C.
Spokespersons from the both institutions are admitted their number of pediatric admission for acute respiratory disease is a bit higher, but they have maintained that it is not overwhelming despite having the same seasonal patterns year in year out.