CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago said parents have a choice with the current "triple-threat" of COVID, RSV and flu: Get children vaccinated or face potentially heartbreaking outcomes.
"You may not understand the risk to your child until you’re in the ICU, watching your child on a ventilator or planning a funeral and looking back and thinking about how it could have been prevented," said attending physician Dr. Larry Kociolek.
He said RSV and flu in children are not typical this year. They’re putting a strain on the hospital system and it’s only going to get worse.
Dr. Kociolek said what’s different this year is that precautions taken during COVID meant there was less exposure to Flu and RSV. Now, he said, most children born since March of 2020 have no immunity.That’s very concerning, he said.
Kociolek was joined by doctors from area hospitals and public health officials, including Dr. Sameer Vohra, the Director of Illinois Department of Public Health, who said just 9% of pediatric ICU beds are available statewide. It was 4% earlier this week.
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"Even during the worst moments of the COVID 19 Pandemic, we saw nothing like this, in fact we never dropped below 50%," Vohra said.
“The bottom line is this: The current surge that we are seeing is putting a strain on our hospital systems," added Vohra.
Most of the children impacted by RSV and influenza, the experts said, are under 5-years-old.
Children over six months can get flu shots. There is not a vaccine for RSV and the symptoms of COVID, RSV and the flu are similar.
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