“We are now dealing here at CHEO and at children’s hospitals across the country with an unprecedented increase in demand,” CHEO President and CEO Alex Munter said in a virtual media briefing Wednesday. He said the period from May to September had been the busiest months in the organization’s 50-year history. The hospital is operating at excess capacity, with pediatric units at 134 percent capacity, while pediatric intensive care is at 124 percent. The emergency department averages 229 patient visits a day, while it’s built for 150, Munter said. Hospital officials point to an increase in flu and COVID-19 cases. As of Tuesday this week, the hospital was caring for eight children with COVID infections. There are also about 10 times more respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) patients now than before the pandemic, according to Munter. The virus, which disproportionately affects young children, presents with symptoms such as fever, runny nose and cough and can lead to difficulty breathing. “[Neither] CHEO nor any of our organizations was built for this request,” he said.
Surgeries were cancelled, staff redeployed
Munter said the hospital responded by canceling some of its scheduled surgeries, with only a few going forward. “We are very concerned,” he said. Hospital officials have reassigned staff from other departments to its ER and pediatrics areas. It also recently received $1.2 million from the province to manage the COVID-19 clinics, but Munter said they are currently negotiating for further investment to help the hospital respond to emergency care. President and CEO Alex Munter, shown at right with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, says he is currently negotiating with the province for more investment to help the hospital’s emergency response. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) The early and increased incidence of RSV in children is caused by several factors, said Dr. Anne Pham-Huy, CHEO pediatrician. While children usually build up a natural immunity to things like RSV, pandemic closures over the past couple of years have meant they’ve had much less exposure to viruses. Now that kids are back in school, viruses are starting to re-circulate. “It’s like the perfect storm,” he said.
Preventive measures can help
Dr. Chuck Hui, chief of infectious diseases, immunology and allergy at the hospital, said hospitals across Ontario and the United States have also seen an increase in RSV cases. There are currently no vaccines for RSV, Hui said, although that is expected to change in the near future. Meanwhile, Hui said there are steps parents can take to prevent the disease, which include:
Stay up-to-date on your vaccines, including flu and COVID-19 shots. Staying home when you’re sick. Cough into your elbow. Washing your hands. Wearing masks indoors.
That can prevent and reduce all the “viral potpourri we’re seeing right now,” he said. CHEO officials said if a child gets sick with RSV, parents should watch for difficulty breathing, a significantly decreased appetite and a fever that lasts more than a few days. If this is the case, then they should be taken to the doctor or emergency room.
