CHEO emergency department hit with wave of young patients

Eastern Ontario's pediatrichospital says it's been deluged with young patients asviruses kept at bay by pandemic measures re-emergein the community.

July and August each saw more than 6,000 visits to CHEO's emergency department, setting new monthly records,the hospital said.

In September, nearly 6,700 patients arrived at the ER, a figuremore in line with the peak virus season, which normally lastsfrom Novemberuntil March or April.

"Where we would [normally] be peak season in the fall and the winter, we're seeing those numbers now," saidTammy DeGiovanni, the hospital's senior vice-president of clinical services and chief nurse executive.

"The department waits have been long. We're also trying to keep people separated and safe and maintaining distance," she said. "That does create some extra waits as well."

Kids exposed to viruses

The unseasonably high numbers at CHEO are due in part tochildren contracting certain illnesses theydon't generally catch until later in the fall,including colds andrespiratory syncytial virus(RSV), DeGiovanni said.

"Our hypothesis is that we do have a whole cohort of children that really haven't been exposed to viruses in the community throughout the pandemic," she said.

Specialists in infectious diseases have noted that the public health measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic have meant children haven't built up certain antibodies they normally would and therefore don't have the same immunity.

• Children's viruses that disappeared during pandemic lockdowns are back, doctors say

For CHEO, that meant a lot of sick children arrivedafter summer camps and other social activities resumed, including the first days and weeksof in-person school, DeGiovanni said.

Many infants and toddlers have already shown upwith RSV, a virus that causes symptoms such as wheezing, lethargy and a persistent cough. Typically, thatwouldn't happen untillate fall or winter, she said.

CHEO not alone

CHEO isn't the only children's hospital dealing with a surge in young patients.

It's a similar story in Toronto,with the emergency department at SickKidsreporting a 40 per cent rise in patients in August 2021 compared to the same time last year.

• Toronto hospitals report surge in sick kids as some pediatricians still won't see them in person

August is normally that hospital's slowest month. Another Torontofacility,St. Joseph's Health Centre, also reported its children's clinic has been busier than before the pandemic, and was hitting capacity daily.

While kidsunder 12 still can't be vaccinated against COVID-19, anyone six months and older can get a flu shot a preventative measureDeGiovanni urged parents to seek out.