Kentucky children’s hospitals face ICU bed shortages amid rise in respiratory viruses
The Kentucky Department for Public Health is urging COVID-19 and flu vaccines for those over 6 months old as it announced “nearly all” staffed pediatric intensive care unit beds in commonwealth children’s hospitals are in use.
Hospitals across the U.S. have reported pediatric ICU bed shortages as health care professionals provide care to a wave of patients with COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV.
“CDC surveillance has shown an increase in RSV detections and RSV-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations in multiple U.S. regions, with some regions nearing seasonal peak levels. Clinicians and public health professionals should be aware of increases in respiratory viruses, including RSV,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website reads.
While vaccines and specialized treatments are available for COVID-19 and flu, RSV does not currently have a vaccine, and treatment for patients is largely focused on managing symptoms.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms, the CDC says, but it can be more dangerous for infants and others who are at a high risk, such as older adults and people with asthma or other health conditions.
Flu symptoms are usually “intense and occur suddenly,” according to the KDPH. Signs of infection can include fever, headache, exhaustion, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, vomiting and other ailments.
The University of Kentucky HealthCare Kentucky Children’s Hospital had eight patients with flu infections and 30 RSV patients as of Tuesday morning, according to Allison Perry, spokesperson for UK Medical Campus.
Along with vaccines, health care professionals recommend precautions such as staying home when you are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water and avoiding touching your face to mitigate transmission of respiratory infections.
Information about COVID-19 and flu vaccines in Lexington is available from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
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This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 2:26 PM.
