Respiratory viruses are on the rise earlier than usual this year, particularly in children.
Nemours Children’s Hospital reports a 22.5% increase in urgent care telehealth appointments and a steady increase in sick visits at its primary care clinics with flu, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV all active.
Lissandra Clark with Delaware’s Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology says that’s not surprising.
“We have to take into consideration that there are kids in daycare, so of course the kids within that age group are going to potentially have more cases because it's spread throughout the day care facilities," Clarke said. "We also have to take into consideration the fact that schools are open. So kids within colleges might see outbreaks as well as high school and middle school children.”
Clark notes RSV is causing the most hospitalizations, but they haven’t tracked cases in the past, so it's hard to compare this to previous years.
State health officials were already warning of a more severe flu season based on what was seen in the Southern hemisphere and now say RSV is arriving sooner.
Delaware’s Division of Public Health reports from October 16th through 22nd there were 44 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu, compared to 19 the week before. In that same week, there were 98 cases of RSV.
Emily Hanlin is a lead epidemiologist with Delaware’s Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. She says those numbers, paired with COVID cases, mean strain on the healthcare system is growing again.
“We do know that right now, COVID community levels are low," Hanlin said. "But we still know that it's in play, and we still need to take it seriously. So we are monitoring COVID and influenza and RSV, but due to testing limitations, and probably of the fact that a lot of people are testing at home for COVID, the burden of all of them is likely under reported.”
The strain on hospitals is reflected in longer emergency department waits and DPH reminds people only to go to the ED true emergencies. Hanlin adds vaccinations, masking, social distancing, and hand washing hygiene are simple ways to stop the spread of these respiratory illnesses– along with staying home when sick.
Hanlin and Clark say the emergency department visits should be limited to true emergencies, not a runny nose or headache. If you have symptoms of any of these viruses, she recommends going to a primary care provider or walk-in clinic first to alleviate strain on the hospitals.
People who feel sick should stay home to limit the spread - and masking, social distancing, and vaccinations can also help keep respiratory viruses at bay.
