Vancouver, November 5: BC Children’s Hospital has confirmed it’s seeing more visits to the emergency department, averaging up to 150 per day. This comes as the hospital prepares for an influx of patients during the upcoming flu season.
“We are beginning to see an increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases, which is expected based upon trends we are seeing from other parts of Canada and across the globe,” Bell wrote, adding that while the rate is relatively low, the hospital has set up an Emergency Operations Centre.
Cases of RSV are growing steadily across the country, and appearing earlier, according to Dr. Pascal Lavoie, a professor of pediatrics at UBC and neonatologist at BC Children’s Hospital.
“We have seen RSV cases increase in B.C. across the province for the last two weeks, which is a little bit earlier than we normally see,” Lavoie said. “Normally, the viral season starts mid-to-end of November. This year it’s a couple of weeks earlier.”
Cases are also appearing frequently in children. Lavoie said his research shows this is mostly due to a lack of exposure to viruses during the pandemic.
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