UNC Hospital opens surge unit for children, as brutal flu and RSV season drags on
UNC Medical Center opened an overflow unit for children with respiratory viruses, as an unceasing uptick in flu and RSV cases have pushed pediatric hospitals to a crisis shortage of beds.
After two months of unusually high pediatric demand — which has forced Triangle hospitals to delay elective procedures and reject patient transfers from smaller community hospitals — UNC administrators opened six additional beds in an unoccupied section of the hospital, said Dr. Stephanie Davis, who heads the children’s hospital.
This is the first time the health system has opened a pediatric surge unit, a spokesperson for the health system said.
“We’re not seeing a drop-off in need,” she said. “We were boarding so many children in our emergency room and we were having to deny transfers — I’ve never seen (this) number of transfer denials.”
In the last several weeks, as many as 10 children were waiting in the emergency room overnight to be admitted to the hospital, Davis said.
She said she anticipates the hospital will have to add even more surge beds as children are exposed to the viruses during holidays and at school. The surge unit can accommodate up to 14 beds, which Davis said will likely all be in use at some point this flu season.
Duke Health is planning a similar surge unit, but does not have immediate plans to open it, a spokesperson for the health system said.
Last month, the surge in patients forced Duke doctors to make difficult decisions about which children to admit to a coveted hospital bed and which children to leave waiting in the emergency room, said Dr. Sameer Kamath, a Duke pediatric critical care medicine specialist.
“We’ve been in constant triage mode,” he said. “We’ve had to decide who will most benefit from the care that we have.”
READ MORE: For some hospitals in the Triangle, nursing shortage now is worse than ever
An unusual virus season
Two COVID-dominated years have made for a strange and unpredictable respiratory virus season.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the easily spread BQ omicron variants rising in NC
The number of flu cases reported this fall is on par with past peaks of severe flu seasons, said Dr. Erica Wilson, who oversees respiratory diseases for the state department of health and human services.
However, the state has never seen this many cases this early in the season, Wilson said. It’s too soon to tell whether cases have reached an early peak or whether the worst is yet to come in December and February, when flu cases typically top out.
Flu activity in North Carolina is considered “very high,” the most severe category possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RSV, which typically causes cold-like symptoms but can be dangerous for infants and young children, appears to be slowly declining in North Carolina, Wilson said.
“Hopefully that will continue to decline,” she said. “But this isn’t a season like we’ve ever seen before.”
READ MORE: Don’t wait to get that flu shot, experts say. Influenza is on the rise early in NC.
Infectious disease experts don’t yet know why respiratory viruses have caused so many hospitalizations this year, though many speculate that immunity against viruses that kids would usually encounter waned during the pandemic while they were isolating and wearing masks.
“We’re still learning so much about how different respiratory viruses interact and the impact of all of the different behavior changes,” she said.
Teddy Rosenbluth covers science and healthcare for The News & Observer in a position funded by Duke Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 6:22 PM.
