Children's respiratory illnesses are significantly increasing in the United States, filling many emergency departments and pediatric hospitals nationwide.
This increase in the number of sick children is due to COVID-19 and other viruses like RSV, enteroviruses, and rhinoviruses.
Experts believe that while respiratory illnesses tend to rise over the winter months, this year's season has started earlier and that numbers are immensely greater, according to a report from NPR.
According to pediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr. Ibukun Kalu of Duke Children's Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, they have recorded RSV positivity rates "as high as 25 percent" for October, which is unusual.
"We typically start to see higher rates in November, December, and January," said Dr. Kalu.
The expert stated that while respiratory viruses like RSV may have devastating effects on newborns, the virus is now showing signs of causing similar effects in older children, necessitating hospitalization for the provision of artificial ventilation.
The COVID-19 epidemic is already putting a burden on hospital systems, and now some children who have preexisting conditions that necessitate the use of oxygen at home due to viral infection are adding to that pressure.
Dr. Kalu also noted that medical facilities are almost at capacity as more and more patients require assistance while there is a shortage of beds and employees. "This combination is going to create more and more problems."
COVID-19 Cases To Increase This Winter
COVID-19 cases have decreased since early August. The daily average of new cases has dropped to 44,743 as of October 6 (using a moving seven-day average), the lowest it has been since April.
The number of people admitted to hospitals because of COVID-19 is also decreasing. On October 5th, 27,161 fewer hospital beds were being used daily by patients covered by COVID-19 than there had been since June.
As winter approaches and more people stay indoors, COVID-19 cases are predicted to climb, as per medical experts.
NBC News reported a recent study conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota that indicates that the daily national average of COVID-19 cases is expected to shoot up by more than 10 percent over the next several weeks.
According to Mayo Clinic's director of clinical virology, Matthew Binnicker, the rise in COVID-19 cases this year probably will not have the same magnitude as in the winter of 2020 and 2021. He predicts that most of these illnesses will only be "mild to moderate."
Flu 'Roaring Back' This Year, So Better Get Vaccinated
The US is experiencing its first tough flu season in many years. Despite low overall numbers, the CDC recorded increased positive flu testing last week.
According to Dr. Dan Uslan, co-chief infection prevention officer at UCLA Health in Los Angeles, it's quite possible "to see influenza roaring back with a vengeance this winter."
Australian incidents may serve as a preview: According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, this has been the worst flu season the country has seen in at least five years.
Dr. Binnicker of the Mayo Clinic noted that Southern Hemisphere advises the public to "double down" on preventative measures like wearing masks and observing physical distancing.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has advocated that all Americans 6 months and older get vaccinated against the flu by the end of October.
At a news conference, she expressed concern over a decline in flu vaccination rates over the previous two years, particularly among those most at risk for severe flu complications.
The CDC reported a decline in flu vaccinations this year. Some factors include the misconception that COVID-19 shots also prevent the flu, fewer visits to vaccine providers during the pandemic, and fewer flu immunization centers operating than in previous years, as per an ABC News report.
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