Nationally, 6.1% of RSV tests are positive as of Nov. 16. Two weeks prior, the RSV test positivity rate was 2.9%, according to CDC data.
Already low levels of COVID-19 activity is decreasing, but as a milder form of pneumonia known as “walking pneumonia” sweeps across the pediatric population, some children’s hospitals are nearing capacity, CNN reported. Low vaccination rates also pose a risk.
For example, the emergency department at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is nearly at capacity because of increases in RSV hospitalizations and pneumonia cases.
In August, the CDC said it expects the 2024-25 respiratory disease season to be similar or slightly better than last season but higher respiratory virus hospitalization rates compared to pre-pandemic seasons.
Torey Mack, MD, chief medical officer of the Children’s Hospital Association, told CNN respiratory disease surges can exacerbate ongoing supply chain challenges and strain hospital systems — especially their crammed emergency departments.
Children’s hospitals already anticipate an influx of patients around this time of year, Dr. Mack said, and they employ pediatric specialists to treat respiratory illness surges.
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