Health
Massachusetts hospitals, healthcare workers worried about RSV, flu, COVID triple infection
As temperatures drop and Bay State residents spend more time indoors, public health and medical experts Concerned about increasing mix of COVID-19, RSV, and influenzaunderstaffing and emergency room overflow continue to put stress on the state’s healthcare system.
Locations ranging from movie theaters to the State Capitol made masking an option earlier this year, but COVID-19 variants continue to develop as the holidays approachOther respiratory diseases, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza, have also increased nationwide in recent weeks. Dr. Huan Ngo, chief medical officer at Signature Healthcare Brockton, said of the rise in cases of respiratory illness, “Everything is happening at an accelerated pace.” is happening in
In Massachusetts, the three-week average RSV positivity rate reached 23.1% in mid-November. According to the latest CDC figures available, A sharp increase from just over 3% at the end of August.
The flu has also seen record surges and hospitalizations across the state, according to the Public Health Service. Recent reportsHealth officials have reported the severity of the flu as “very high,” with visits to health facilities with flu-like illness more than doubling from last year to almost 6% of visitors. rice field.
“I’ve been worried about this for months,” said Ngo. “everyone is getting [sick]. Managing more sick people than ever before is difficult. “
Increase in MedFlights:With over 6,000 patient transfers, Boston MedFlight reports busiest year on record
Influenza and RSV historically increase in the winter, but hospitals were facing an unusually high number of sick patients in September, Ngo said.
It doesn’t cause a serious condition in most older children or adults, Ngo said.the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, and young children. Illnesses like RSV can cause breathing difficulties and airway obstructions.
But public health experts say the current state of affairs is just the beginning of what’s to come.
“It’s been a tough time these days with flu and RSV,” said Jonathan Levy, chair of the environmental health department at the Boston University School of Public Health.
take precautions to protect yourself
To reduce stress on the healthcare industry, state medical group leaders say residents should take more precautions to protect themselves. , has risen to the point where we are compelled to share and recommend palliative measures that may help prevent disease,” said Ted Callianos, president of the Massachusetts Medical Association, and Emily Chin, president of the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians. , and the American Academy said. Joint Statement of Massachusetts Pediatrics Branch Chief Mary Beth Miott. They said Massachusetts families should vaccinate all children over 6 months of age for the flu and her COVID-19 vaccines (including boosters) and practice regular hygiene such as hand washing. said. They said anyone who gathered in a crowded indoor space, including children with symptoms, should consider wearing a mask. It not only eases the burden, but it becomes especially important as we approach the holiday season,” they said. “[It] It can also reduce disruptions to in-person learning and other children’s activities that can result from outbreaks of viral infections. “
With the flu and early start of the RSV season, some medical experts are hypothesizing why this will be a new problem this year. After more than two years of masks and lockdowns, some say our immune systems aren’t ready for typical winter respiratory ailments.
Levy said time can be spent discussing the causes of the “triple epidemic,” but it’s more important to act and address the impact.
“There has been a lot of discussion about the issue of our bodies not seeing these viruses for a while and the immune system being depleted by COVID infection and everywhere in between,” he said. rice field.
“Whatever the cause, we have to deal with the costs.”
tired employee
Since the age of five, Ngo has wanted to be a healthcare professional and make people feel better.
He has been treating community members at Signature Healthcare for almost 20 years. He worked first as an emergency department director and now as a hospital administrative leader. However, the situation he has seen over the past two years is completely extraordinary, as hospitals face massive staff shortages and overwhelmed emergency centers.
“The situation healthcare is in right now is unlike anything anyone, including myself, has ever seen,” he said. “It is exacerbated by viral diseases, many of which started with the pandemic.”
He said helping patients initially energized health workers when the pandemic began. Yet, as time went on, the industry’s stamina began to wane.
“We always thought there would be light at the end of the tunnel. I always thought I would get through this, but unfortunately, it never happened,” he said. “There are so many people who have just left the industry. They’ve burned out. It’s not right or wrong, it’s what happened, and the healthcare industry is very understaffed right now.”
In late November, Gov. Charlie Baker said the industry needs to rethink care as hospitals across the state have experienced shortages over the past year.At a Massachusetts Health Planning Association conference, he said, “There’s this huge staffing problem running through this whole system.” A recent Massachusetts Health Hospital Association report has revealed that nearly 19,000 full-time positions remain vacant statewide, and Massachusetts hospitals will pay more than $1 billion for temporary nurses.
Caregivers had the highest vacancies among survey respondents, at 56%. Home health care assistants (34%), pulmonary function technicians (35%), mental health workers/technicians (32%), and infection control nurses (26%) also reported high vacancy rates.
“Across the region, all hospital systems are fighting for the same employees,” says Ngo. “Prices are rising, and that is impacting every corner of healthcare, from hospitals to outpatient settings to nursing homes to rehab facilities that are struggling to staff. Everything is interconnected. The MHA reports that state hospitals paid about $181 million in 2020 and $328 million in 2021, compared to the previous year. In particular, as patients with respiratory diseases head to the emergency room, shortages are increasing wait times and reducing the ability to treat patients. Some hospitals have had to redirect patients to local facilities due to lack of resources.
“We are a community hospital,” Ngo says of Signature Healthcare Brockton. “We don’t have a pediatric intensive care unit.”
For many sick young patients with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, the goal of providers in recent weeks has been to stabilize them and transfer them to other facilities, such as Boston Children’s Hospital. A representative for the Boston Children told the New York Times that elective surgeries have been postponed to increase the number of patients with respiratory illnesses.
However, at several points in recent months, Ngo said there were no more beds available in these large hospitals to enable transfers. So they pivoted.
“There have been numerous attempts to move these children from state to Connecticut, Maine, Vermont.”
Blacks and Latinos at Risk
With the number of virus cases tripling and showing no signs of slowing down, community leaders wondered how this would affect communities of color, which have already been severely impacted by the pandemic over the past two years. I’m worried about
“We still have COVID-19. is talking about
More than two years into the pandemic, DPH found that Latino and Black residents experienced the highest case rates of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants at approximately 25% and 17%, respectively. reporting.
Similarly, more Latino and black residents have been hospitalized with flu-related diagnoses so far this year, according to the Public Health Service.
Although there are no demographic data on RSV infections, public health experts say many black and Latinx families with children are likely to struggle to cope with the long-term effects of the disease. I’m here.
Levy said this will affect disadvantaged people the most, as policymakers continue to take a “laissez-faire” approach to protecting residents.
“It’s about the risk of infection,” he said. “What are the results? We see a divide there: which households and families are better equipped and able to weather the storm.”
Getting sick is more than overcoming symptoms associated with respiratory illness, Levy said. For some families, individuals need to take time off work without sick leave to care for themselves or family members, and the quality of available health care is not the same for everyone across the state. It may affect your finances.
When many communities have changed their views on the pandemic and precautionary measures, La Colaborativa, a Chelsea-based nonprofit supporting the Latinx immigrant community of Greater Boston, has not changed.
Latino and black communities, in particular, continue to report COVID-19 and the highest number of flu cases this year.
“People think COVID was yesterday’s news. For us, it remains today’s news,” said Gladys Vega, executive director of La Colaborativa. “Your good reality, that’s my sad reality.”
La Colaborativa continues to help families deal with the aftermath of the pandemic, including helping with issues such as housing insecurity, unemployment, food insecurity and immigration status.
Community advocates like Vega and Martinez want policymakers from the local level to the federal level to work together to take more precautions regarding respiratory diseases as we head into the colder months.
“The outbreak of COVID-19, RSV and influenza in the ‘triple epidemic’ serves a purpose of highlighting challenges that have long undermined our communities,” Martinez said.
“As a public server, the agency will focus on addressing these stratified bases by developing policies and programs that provide all communities with equitable access to basic services such as housing. I have to give it.”
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