Pediatricians urge precautions to avoid post-holiday spike of RSV, flu, and COVID

OAKLAND - Pediatricians and public health officials worry the spike in cases of RSV, influenza and COVID-19 could surge even more with the upcoming holidays prompting more people to travel or gather with family and friends.

They're calling for people to take precautions, hoping to avoid overloading clinics and hospitals that are already under strain.

"What we are seeing this year is a much earlier season and a rapid rise and it's really put a stretch on our pediatric hospital beds and our pediatric systems across the state," said Dr. Erica Pan, California's epidemiologist.

Parents such as Holly Calhoun of Berkeley say they are already being impacted by the rise of RSV or respiratory syncytial virus. Her family canceled a trip to meet her toddler's great-grandparents.

"We were supposed to fly to the East Coast in October, and ended up canceling it. He actually got RSV," said Calhoun, who added her son had a bad cough, "The only reason they tested him was because we were going to be traveling, so they did the COVID-19 test and along with that they just tested for flu and RSV. And it came back for RSV."

Dr. Olivia Lang with Berkeley Pediatrics says her office is seeing more cases of RSV and other viruses.

"Our advice line had a four-hour wait in terms of returning calls and this is not because we don't have staffing, it's because there's just such a high volume of calls," said Lang, "I currently have two children who are hospitalized right now with RSV and this is not something we saw during the last two seasons."

Lang and other pediatricians hope people will take precautions in the coming months, especially if they have very young children under three.

"Some of the warning signs of RSV to watch for particularly, respiratory distress, labored breathing, a change in your child's behavior," said Lang.

Doctors also hope schools and parents will take steps to stop the spread.

"Many schools are still having testing after returning from a Thanksgiving break or a long break and that really does help detect people who have been gathering or traveling," said Pan. "I'm going to have my whole family test before Thanksgiving."

Those precautions could go a long way to avoid overwhelming hospitals with a post-holiday spike in cases.

"Masking in airports for sure, possibly testing before a big event," said Susan Leksander, a Berkeley mom, "We're just taking normal precautions. After living through COVID the last few years, parents have had to just be adaptable."

"It may be a lot worse after the holidays, so we just ask for people's patience and I know myself and all my fellow pediatricians are working as hard as we can," said  Lang.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a website with information for parents about RSV symptoms.