Standing at Wyoming County Community Hospital (WCCH) as Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV) pediatric cases surge across Western New York, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on December 2 launched a major new push to increase federal support for upstate hospitals strained by a dramatic increase in RSV cases.
Flanked by pediatricians on the frontlines and Kaleida Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Mineo, Schumer explained that this is the busiest RSV season that hospitals like WCCH and Kaleida Health’s Oishei Children’s Hospital (OCH) have ever seen, with more than double the number of admissions this year compared to the entirety of last season.
Wyoming County Community Health System reported 54 new cases of RSV alone in just the first two weeks of November with 115 pediatric RSV cases so far this year, while pediatric COVID cases are up 75 percent this year and pediatric influenza cases have gone from just three last year to 24 so far this year.
OCH has seen more than 1,000 pediatric RSV admissions this fall -- more than double the number of admissions that the hospital saw over the entire six-month RSV season last year.
Schumer said that spiking levels of RSV with growing flu rates warrants immediate federal action, and called for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be ready to act at a moment’s notice to provide whatever support upstate hospitals need.
“Western New York hospitals are facing an unprecedented surge in RSV cases among children, and public health experts all say it is only going to get worse as we enter the cold winter months,” said Schumer. “Normally, RSV cases start to grow in October and November before peaking in December and January. It is outright scary given that hospitals are already struggling to keep up, and it’s possible the worst is yet to come.
“As a grandfather to two young children, there is nothing more terrifying than the thought of them getting sick, and all across the Western New York parents are facing hospitals who are pushed to the brink, with increased wait times, full beds, all while their child is struggling to breathe because of RSV.”
He said that hospitals are doing their best on the frontlines, but the federal government needs to step up with a comprehensive plan to respond to the major spike in cases, and be ready for it to get worse.
“The feds have a unique ability to get more doctors and supplies where they’re needed, and they need to be prepared to do so,” he said. “Nobody really knows what will come next, and if an upstate hospital says they need something, the feds need to be able to say ‘help is on the way right now.’ Hospitals cannot afford to wait.”
Schumer said that he is calling for HHS to be ready and, if requested by hospitals, use its unique authority to help. Tools at HHS’ disposal include the power to support temporary structures like screening tents, surge staffing if there are not enough pediatricians available, moving patients across states lines, credentialing out-of-state providers, enhancing the use of telehealth, coordinating medical supply chains, and more.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. While most adults recover in a week or two, RSV can be very serious, especially for young children and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States.
Last week, the Children’s Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics warned that “unprecedented levels” of RSV combined with increasing flu circulation are pushing many hospitals to the breaking point.
Schumer said that the rapid increase in cases at OCH has caused the hospital to create five new overflow areas, which are straining the hospital’s carrying capacity. This major strain comes as flu cases are spiking across New York state, placing further pressure on the health system.
OCH saw 1,171 pediatric ED and admitted patients testing positive for flu in just the four weeks between October 24 and November 20. That is an increase of more than 800 percent over the same period last year, during which only 132 patients tested positive.
In just five weeks the hospital has had a nearly 200 percent increase in the number of hospital admissions typically seen over the entire six-month flu season. In a typical flu season (November – April), 70 to 90 children are admitted with the flu. Over the last five weeks OCH has already admitted 140 children.
Infants six months and younger are getting hospitalized with RSV at more than seven times the weekly rate observed before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Schumer and Mineo were joined by local health and elected officials including David Kobis, CEO of Wyoming County Community Health System, and Rebecca Ryan, Chair of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors.