44 states report high or very high flu along with reports of COVID-19, with at least 4,500 deaths stretched throughout the season. The CDC provided reports on the dire situation, with at least 14 children losing their lives.
RSV Reports Start to Increase as the Sickness Takes a Week to Get Better
According to the story by ABC 7 NY, the situation has resulted in emergency rooms quickly filling up while health officials start seeing adults with both flu and COVID. There are also rising reports of pediatric patients with RSV or respiratory syncytial virus.
RSV is regarded as a common respiratory virus that often comes with "mild, cold-like symptoms," according to the CDC. It was also noted that people affected by RSV would typically take a week to get better.
CDC Says RSV can be Serious for Infants and Older Adults
However, the CDC notes that RSV can be serious for infants and older adults. RSV is also the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchitis, especially for children under a year old.
The situation at hand is earlier than the annual Winter flu season, which is expected to start in December to January. However, the complications of this year have been caused by other factors, including the spread of COVID and other viruses.
CDC Says 44 States are Reporting High or Very High Flu Activity
Per the CDC, there have been 44 states reporting "high or very high flu activity" over the past week. Experts emphasize that the enhanced situation happened mostly at Thanksgiving gatherings and other crowded airports.
CDC estimates that the season has recorded at least 4,500 deaths and 78,000 hospitalizations. To make things more tragic, at least 14 deaths were children.
The Risk of RSV Patients in the Emergency Rooms for Other Patients
The article by ACB notes that people say that the problem with flu and RSV is that the virus can add more constraints to emergency rooms. This affects emergency rooms already dealing with other emergencies like strokes or heart attacks.
Those rooms are affected because the officials still must be cautious about controlling transmission. Without control, the risk is that patients and personnel in the emergency rooms for other emergencies could be affected.
Senator Schumer Describes the Emergency Departments as 'Overwhelmed'
On Sunday, Senator Schumer is urging the Department of Human Services to be prepared to supply emergency rooms with the necessary medical personnel, such as doctors and nurses. Schumer described the emergency departments as "overwhelmed."
Compared to the typical 200 children they see daily, they now see 300 children as of late, per the Senator.
The article then notes that health officials are urging the public to be cautious regarding having indoors and gatherings. This comes at a time when the Christmas-New Year holidays are just around the corner.
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