B.C. doctor raises alarm about pediatric emergency admissions, RSV

The chief medical officer at BC Children’s Hospital is urging parents not to bring their children to the emergency department unless it’s absolutely necessary, as the hospital faces a surge of admissions due to unseasonal virus activity.

Dr. Jana Davidson estimates the children’s hospital is facing a 20 per cent surge in admissions to the pediatric intensive care unit and other pediatric wards.

“About 50 per cent of our presentations in the emergency department probably didn’t need to be in the emergency department,” Davidson told CTV Morning Live on Tuesday. “We’re trying to help families understand when to come to hospital and when not to come to hospital.”

 A Vancouver Coastal Health dashboard with hospital wait times shows a wait of more than five hours at the children’s hospital on Tuesday. 

It’s been five days since an emergency operations command was put in place at BC Children’s Hospital, and Davidson says rising cases of respiratory syncytial virus is partially to blame.

“We’re seeing the emergence of RSV and influenza, as well as COVID-19 in our testing results,” said Davidson.

According to the latest data by the Public Health Agency of Canada, respiratory syncytial virus activity (RSV) is above expected levels for this time of year, with 1,045 cases detected nationwide from Oct. 22-29.

In that same period, B.C. detected 80 cases of RSV, up from 43 reported the week prior.

HealthLink BC likens the virus to a bad cold, but Davidson says it’s particularly concerning in infants and very young children because it can cause respiratory distress and difficulties breathing.

“When children present with those symptoms, that’s a reason to come into the emergency department,” Davidson said. “If your child has a fever and is over three months old, they probably don’t need to come to the emergency department.”