CHEO flu admissions still soaring after near-record month

Ottawa's children's hospital has soaring, near-record levels of influenza admissions heading into the holiday season.

Aside from a month during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, November saw CHEO's highest number of flu hospitalizations in one month with 73 admissions. CEO Alex Munter says it usually has one or two in November.

According to a hospital news release, the difficult November coincided with its most admissions for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in a single month, with 149.

Wait times for hospital admission can now last up to two days, Dr. Lindy Samson, chief of staff and chief medical officer at CHEO, told Ottawa Morning on Tuesday.

The alarming numbers come as parents say they're exhausted by illness running rampant, all while trying to avoid turning to a health-care system struggling to catch its breath.  

"I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed and scared because the last thing I want is to end up in CHEO," said Kennedee Smith, whose three-year-old son Theo was sent home from daycare with flu-like symptoms on Monday. The family dealt with a stomach bug last week. 

With a lack of child medicine at home or on store shelves, Smith already visited the Arnprior emergency room for three hours to get some.

"There's no medications around anywhere," she said. "I've reached out to friends and family."

Smith said her father is in Indianapolis and will be bringing children's medicine home with him.

Vaccine helps prevent hospitalization

Dr. Charles Hui, CHEO's chief of infectious diseases, immunology and allergy, said it's critical people get their flu shot, noting it's a good match this year. 

"The influenza vaccine will prevent somebody from having serious complications, such as being hospitalized, related to influenza," he said on Monday.

Children as young as six months old can get a flu shot in both Ontario and Quebec.

• Slow flu shot uptake concerns health experts ahead of holidays
• OPH gives holiday advice amid resurgent levels of respiratory illness

Ottawa's medical officer of health told CBC Radio's All In A Day Monday while it's important to connect with family and close friends over the holidays, people should do so in the safest way possible.

"That means, right now one of the key things we want people to know is it still a good idea to get your flu shot," said Dr. Vera Etches.

She urged people to stay home if sick and wear a mask during their recovery. 

Influenza numbers are significantly soaring and continuing to soar.​​​​- Dr. Charles Hui, CHEO

Hui said with RSV numbers starting to plateau, there remains huge numbers of patients admitted to the ICU and other wards, many of whom have influenza.

The doctor noted the rates for flu hospitalization for kids under five and adults over 65 are the same. 

Hui said December seems to be on track to be much like November, with 36 admissions for influenza so far. 

"Influenza numbers are significantly soaring and continuing to soar," he said. "So lots of tests that are positive, and lots of patients that are being admitted to the hospital."

CHEO has asked the Red Cross for staffing help, has had to move staff around to open a second intensive care unit and, like other children's hospitals across the province, has sent older children to adult hospitals, all while delaying surgeries to cope.

Smith's child is home sick with fever, cough, congestion and lethargy and she doesn't want to return to the hospital if those symptoms worsen — knowing the health-care system is already burdened. 

But with the holidays just around the corner, Smith said it will be nearly impossible to see her family doctor on short notice.

"Is he going to be able to have a bed if he needs to get admitted because there's a lack of beds right now? Is there going to be enough nurses that are on staff that can take care of him?"

At a town hall on Monday night, CHEO staff urged parents to continue to bring their sick children to hospital if they need emergency care. Examples include instances where a child has trouble breathing, staying hydrated, or is unusually lethargic even after taking fever-reducing medications like ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).