‘Unprecedented amount’ in children’s hospitals as RSV rampages – KIRO 7 News Seattle

Respiratory viruses are wreaking havoc on children and children’s hospitals. His family has been waiting in the emergency room for more than five hours, and doctors say he is in the midst of an unusual surge in children getting very sick.

The virus causing all the trouble is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Children’s hospitals in western Washington are operating at or above maximum capacity.

According to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, 212 children visited the emergency department on Wednesday for treatment. This is about 70% more than normal.

“The average wait time in the ED lobby was 5-6 hours at any given time this week,” spokeswoman Kalyn Kinomoto said in an email. She said it was due to an “unprecedented amount of children with respiratory diseases.”

A spokeswoman for Seattle Children’s Hospital said emergency department capacity fluctuated between 200% and 300%, reaching record numbers.

Gig Harbor parents Kyle Pease and Chelsea Pease noticed their six-month-old baby was having trouble breathing last week. They took their boy, Tez, to the pediatrician, who told them to take him to the emergency room.

“I walked through the ER waiting room (on the Mary Bridge) and there were like 60 or 70 people waiting to get their kid in the hospital. “I’m glad I got to the room,” Pease said.

Tez has now been hospitalized for eight days after being diagnosed with RSV. He also developed pneumonia.

“He’s now hooked up to oxygen and that’s what’s driving him forward,” Pease said. “Considering how much it’s attacking his lungs and how difficult it is for him to breathe, it’s very serious and frightening.”

Tez was born prematurely at 26 weeks, so the Peases say they are taking every precaution to keep him healthy.

“There are no grocery stores or restaurants or anything like that,” said her mother, Chelsea Pease, but Tez still got sick.

At Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Dr. Elizabeth Mead is the Medical Director of Quality Pediatrics.

“I’ve been working in hospital pediatrics for 15 years[and]have never seen an RSV season like it is now,” Mead said. “All the hospitals that treat children in our area have been at capacity for the last few weeks,” she said.

In older children, she said, the virus usually causes mild cold-like symptoms.

“We think this could be a particularly virulent or potent strain of RSV, so it could be more contagious,” Meade said.

She says it’s very important to keep children at home if they have respiratory symptoms.

“I don’t go to daycare, I don’t go to school,” Mead said.

Kyle and Chelsea Pease say they want other families to know what’s going on.

“This is without a doubt the most extreme virus we have come across,” said Kyle Pease. He said Tez was showing signs of recovery, but the situation was still “a roller coaster from worst to worst and worst to worst.”

“We need to be able to provide resources for sick children.

Mary Bridges says taking children to emergency care instead of the ER can reduce hospital load when possible.

Mary Bridge is next advice About where to seek care:

Emergency rooms are for medical conditions and injuries that threaten life or limb. A great option if you need immediate medical attention. These conditions are:

• difficulty breathing
• loss of consciousness
• seizure
• severe abdominal pain
• severe allergic reaction
• severe burns
• severe skin infections
• Sudden visual change
• high fever with headache
• A fast heartbeat that never slows down
• severe dehydration
• persistent dizziness

Emergency care is for illnesses and injuries that are not immediately life threatening but need to be treated today.

These include:

• cold and flu symptoms
• ear pain
• Minor burns and bruises
• simple scratches and abrasions
• sore throat
• Wheezing
• cough
• fever
• minor head injury
• sprain
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• mild dehydration
• COVID-19 symptom test
• Pediatric Virtual Care

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