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RSV cases increase among young children across Triangle, hospital beds are filling up

Hospitals throughout the Triangle have seen an increase in RSV cases among young children.
Posted 2022-10-21T20:40:50+00:00 - Updated 2022-10-21T21:18:24+00:00
RSV cases among young children filling beds in Triangle hospitals

Triangle hospitals are running out of beds as cases of respiratory syncytial virus skyrocket.

Very young children with an RSV infection can have severe symptoms. Last week, they made up two-thirds of the RSV hospitalizations at UNC.

On Friday, WRAL News spoke with Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center's Chief Medical Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sameer Kamath about his concerns of hospital bed capacity.

"It has escalated over the last month,” Kamath said. “Every day, we're hoping and praying that the next day is better, and we've just not seen that relent.”

Kamath said Duke Children’s Hospital has 110 acute-care beds.

“Each one of those bed spaces is occupied,” Kamath said.

Kamath also said the hospital has 10-12 patients waiting for acute-care beds.

“Trying to predict who's ready to discharge, who's ready to go home, and to put the next child in that bed, that's been the struggle at UNC [Children’s Hospital], [Duke Children’s Hospital] [and] WakeMed,” Kamath said.

Area hospitals are filling up with sick children.

  • WakeMed had 168 positive RSV tests between Oct. 15 and Friday
  • Between Oct. 9-15, Duke Raleigh and Duke Regional had 224 positive RSV cases
  • Last week, UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill had nearly 200 cases

“That's what our concern is right now, running out of beds and having to turn away patients who get into trouble,” Kamath said.

Harnett Health's Dr. Lori Langdon, a general pediatrician, shared warning signs parents should watch for.

"At any age, you should not need to use extra muscles to breathe,” Langdon said.

Langdon also said parents should monitor their children for dehydration.

"Newborns and toddlers often have a hard time getting enough fluids to stay hydrated when they're very sick, especially for younger infants,” Langdon said.

Leaders at Duke Children’s Hospital said they are hoping to work with other hospitals to create a dashboard showing the number of available beds.

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