Influenza, RSV put pressure on Alberta Children's Hospital as case counts climb
CBC
Alberta Children's Hospital is facing an influx of kids sick with respiratory viruses so it's adding capacity in an effort to meet demand.
"The emergency departments are quite full, very busy," said Dr. Stephen Freedman, an ER physician at the hospital.
As case counts in the province spike, he's seeing a lot of children with influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). There are some cases of COVID-19, too, he said.
"Does it take away from other resources and capacity to do other things? For sure it does. Is it straining our ability to provide care to all the children as efficiently and as expeditiously as we want? For sure," said Freedman, who is also a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of Calgary.
"But is it the same as last year? Is it as overwhelming as last year? I would say no, not at this point in time."
Care was delayed, staff were redeployed and surgeries were postponed when Alberta's pediatric hospitals were slammed by an unprecedented wave of very sick children during last year's respiratory virus season.
In response to this fall's surge, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has added six surge beds to the hospital, bringing the total to 162.
"This year is similar to prior years, but given the preparedness of the teams with the experience of last year's increase in respiratory cases, the volumes are being managed, and pressures are not as significant as this time last year," an AHS spokesperson said in an email.
"AHS is working hard to ensure we can continue to provide care to anyone who needs it."
The health authority said no surgeries have been delayed at Alberta Children's hospital, and other departments, such as outpatient clinics, have not been impacted.
Earlier this year, the provincial government dedicated $12 million in its budget to increase capacity at children's hospitals and help address seasonal spikes.
The funding provided 10 surge beds and six pediatric intensive care beds as well as 61 permanent front-line staff positions at Alberta Children's Hospital.
According to Freedman, children are showing up in the emergency room with cough, runny nose and fever. There can be vomiting and diarrhea, and some kids have trouble breathing.
The main culprits currently are influenza and RSV.
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