MINNEAPOLIS — "I think community wide, we're seeing a continued increase, it seems day over day, " said Gigi Chawla, MD, MHA, chief of General Pediatrics at Children's Minnesota.
As Halloween approaches and the holiday season nears, hospitals across the country are seeing a rise in RSV cases.
"For the last few years, we have not had significant volume of RSV, so this year, there's a significant number of kids getting RSV at the same time," said Dr. Chawla.
Last week, the number of positive RSV cases neared 400, a huge jump compared to the week prior.
This week - that number stands at just over 500 cases, with the majority of those hospitalized for the illness 1-year-old and younger, according to recent data from MDH.
"For adults and older kids, it feels like a bad cold, but for younger kids, it's a deeper respiratory illness," said Dr. Chawla.
Dr. Chawla says this could be a concern for hospitals as flu season kicks off.
"I certainly think the constellation of how all of these viruses play together, are going to be taxing on the healthcare system," she said. "We see it already, extended wait times, that clinics are busy, and urgent cares are full."
A spokesperson with M Health Fairview issued this statement:
"Like other pediatric hospitals across the country, M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital has been experiencing increased patient volumes driven by a steady uptick of RSV and other respiratory illnesses. While there may be longer-than-average wait times, patients should not avoid coming to the hospital during an emergency. For non-emergent care, we encourage patients to use their primary care clinic, urgent care, or virtual care. The best way to keep our emergency departments and staff available for medical emergencies is to get the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home when sick."
The CDC recommends anyone 6-months or older get a flu vaccine by the end of October.
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