Families with children under 2 will face tough decisions this holiday season. An RSV surge spreading in California puts infants and toddlers at the greatest risk of severe illness, and two other respiratory viruses — COVID and flu — have begun straining health systems, California’s health secretary said at a news conference Thursday.
“We are dealing with three threats at once,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said, referring to a combination of viruses that doctors have called a “tripledemic.”
“The simplest way to say it is that in every category that we track ... we’re seeing increases for RSV, flu and COVID.”
Among the youngest Californians, he said, test positivity rates for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, “rival peaks from other years.” In early November, 33% of children’s tests in the state were positive, significantly higher than rates at the same time in the previous two years.
Avoiding infection is especially critical for young kids and the adults around them because there are no specific medications to treat RSV. There is also no current vaccine.
The stakes are high: Ghaly said that with three serious respiratory viruses circulating at once, pediatric intensive care units could become overwhelmed with sick babies.
A child just became the first person under 5 to die of RSV and flu this season, the California Department of Public Health reported Monday.
Ghaly urged families to use risk reduction strategies as they gather for the holidays: While there’s no current vaccine for RSV, he said, California families should all get vaccinated against COVID and flu to cut down on the risk posed by those viruses; the most recent COVID boosters are freely available.
“If you’re inclined to get (the most recent COVID booster), there is probably no better time than now to give yourself this period of protection over the next many weeks.” he said.
Wearing masks indoors, staying home when you’re sick and avoiding sick people also are good strategies. People should consider moving gatherings outdoors whenever possible.
So far, Sacramento hospitals have not reported facing an overwhelming number of child RSV and flu cases. Some hospitals in other states and in Southern California have reported surges in cases that strained their resources.
Last week, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that at least three hospitals in San Diego County had so many people with respiratory viruses flooding their emergency rooms that they’d set up tents for patients in their parking lots.
Ghaly said in response that “it wouldn’t surprise” him if hospitals in other regions start experiencing similar pressures.
“Our youngest Californians and other vulnerable Californians ... could get severely sick after a respiratory illness,” he said. “We are very worried.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 6:00 AM.
