![]() They converted an outpatient research clinic at the center into an inpatient unit. ![]() At times, the wait at the hospital’s pediatric emergency department stretched to 10 hours, Nguyen said.ĭoctors at Hopkins Children’s Center set up tents outside the medical center to accommodate new patients, and the hospital was frequently at more than 100% capacity, Biondi said. That spelled disaster for pediatric emergency departments, like the one at Greater Baltimore Medical Center - the only pediatric emergency department in Baltimore County, Nguyen said.Īs a shortage of pediatric intensive care unit beds in Maryland developed, physicians at GBMC intubated children and kept them on ventilators until they could be sent to a larger hospital in the area. Theresa Nguyen, chair of the department of pediatrics at GBMC Healthcare. Since the spread of RSV and the flu had been tamped down during the pandemic, many children hadn’t yet had the chance to build up immunity to the viruses, so they were especially vulnerable, said Dr. Last year, however, as children went back to school without masks or other guardrails against infectious diseases, RSV surged in September, peaking later that month and in early October. In a typical year, respiratory syncytial virus - better known as RSV - starts spreading in the late fall or early winter and usually peaks around December or January. “Hopefully, what we’re seeing now represents a more normal distribution of viral illness, rather than foretelling a big spike.”ĭespite a summer jump in COVID cases, Baltimore doctors are optimistic the region will avoid a repeat of last fall’s “tripledemic,” an explosion of cases of respiratory syncytial virus, COVID and influenza. “Last year, the big problem was, we just got hit with everything at the exact same time, over a two-week period,” Biondi said. But he suspects that represents a “flattening of the curve,” rather than a sign that a bad viral season is ahead. Eric Biondi, director of Hopkins’ Pediatric Hospital Medicine Division. Meanwhile, doctors at the Hopkins Children’s Center are seeing more patients with sore throats and ear infections - symptoms that could be from viral illnesses, said Dr. The state health department has launched a website, /vaccines, to provide updated listings of local health department vaccine clinics, Cook said. Cook, the state health department spokesman, suggested that people contact their local health departments to find out. He also suggested that people stock up on home COVID-19 test kits. Pekosz recommended that people be proactive, and plan to get themselves and their children vaccinated. as of Wednesday, experts are closely watching its transmission since it could “put a wrench in the whole system,” Pekosz said. While it has caused only about a dozen cases worldwide, including two in the U.S. ![]() residents 65 and older - have received at least one dose of the vaccine.Ī piece of bad news is that another strain of the Omicron variant, BA.2.86, which is highly mutated and resistant to vaccine and infection-induced immunity, is slowly spreading. About 81% of the population - and 95% of U.S. Whether people will have a copay may depend on their health coverage, he said, though the government likely will roll out another program to help people pay for the vaccine.Įven when the vaccine was free, however, only about 17% of the country’s population got a dose of the bivalent booster shot, according to CDC data. Insurance companies will have to start paying for the vaccine, which is around $100 a dose, Pekosz said. However, after the federal public health emergency ended in May, these vaccines will no longer be free for everyone. “I think this all will factor into a simplification of the COVID-19 vaccine program that follows what we do for influenza.” “I know that people are confused in terms of when they should get boosters, who’s eligible, how long they have to wait,” he said. He suspects it will mark the start of a more regular vaccination schedule for the virus. ![]() That vaccine is expected to be “well matched” with the strains causing most of the cases in the country right now, Pekosz said. The good news is that the CDC expects the latest COVID vaccine will be available for most people during the third or fourth week of September. His lab studies the way respiratory viruses change from year to year. Trends showthe coronavirus is spreading more freely now than it has in about four months, said Andrew Pekosz, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baltimore Sun eNewspaper Home Page Close Menu
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