[The Epoch Times, November 16, 2022](Compiled and reported by reporter Chen An) Due to the influx of sick children,seriously ill childrenmore and more,AlbertaChildren’s HospitalFacing enormous pressure.
Alberta of CalgaryChildren’s Hospital(ACH) and Stollery Children’s Hospital (SCH) in Edmonton are packed with children with infections including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold virus, as well as some cases of COVID-19 .
“Since late September, wait times at ACH have spiked to 17 hours, compared to 16.5 hours at Stollery,” said Stephen Freedman, a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of Calgary.
according toAlbertaAccording to the Health Services Agency, there was a 24% increase in the number of children triaged at ACH as requiring urgent, urgent and critical care (in the form of resuscitation) in September compared to the same month in 2021. Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton saw a 5.5 per cent increase.
Pediatric hospitalizations are also on the rise, according to the AHS.
Received due to flu so far this seasonintensive careFour of the 13 people were children under the age of nine.
A trend seen in children with RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. Oxygen levels are very low due to the RSV virus.
There are a large number of hospitalized pediatric patients who are stuck in the emergency room as they wait for a bed on the ward.
Pediatric emergency room visits have increased since September, but it’s unclear when the viral surge will peak.
Jim Kellner, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Calgary, speculates that long-term public health measures have left large numbers of children unexposed to the virus and may be more susceptible to infection. Certain viruses can also weaken the body’s immune system.
Doctors are urging parents to take some simple precautions, including vaccinating children against flu and COVID-19.
There are two other key steps families can take.Stay home when sick and wear a mask in public, including schools, grocery stores[和]other crowded places.
Editor in charge: Qi Shoushan