More than 90 percent of beds are full at Virginia Children’s Hospitals.
In response, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is pressing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for answers about how their organizations plan to help protect Virginia children and seniors, support frontline healthcare providers and prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses during what is predicted to be a severe flu season.
According to a press release, recent reports indicate many children’s hospitals have been at capacity for weeks with patients suffering from respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus, the flu and flu-like illnesses. For the second year, these illnesses have hit earlier and made children more ill than before. Since early September, the number of Virginians visiting emergency departments and urgent care clinics with RSV has more than quadrupled before the typical respiratory illness season has begun.
A lower population immunity caused by decreased spread of viruses because of COVID-19 mitigation efforts and falling vaccination rates have contributed to the spread of illnesses. The press release stated that vaccination rates among Virginia children between six months and four years old fell from nearly 20 percent to just over 10 percent between 2019 and 2022.
“I write with grave concerns that children’s hospitals in Virginia and across the country are reporting long waits for care and bed shortages as the number of patients with respiratory illnesses skyrockets,” Spanberger wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CDC Administrator Rochelle Walensky. “I am committed to ensuring our federal government is prepared to support Virginia’s families and frontline health care providers ahead of what could be a severe flu season. As such, I request more information about how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plan to improve data reporting, engagement with health providers, and vaccination campaigns to ensure the highest degree of preparedness.”
Spanberger requested more information about a plan from national disease prevention leaders to improve reporting, increase engagement with health providers and raise flu vaccination rates. She also highlighted the strain that this influx in cases is putting on frontline providers.
“The early start of flu-like illness season, coupled with lower flu vaccine coverage rates, could strain our healthcare providers, who have already spent more than two exhausting years on the front lines battling COVID-19,” Spanberger wrote in her letter.
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Rebecca Barnabi
