With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Respiratory Virus Surge Continues To Fill Pediatric OC Hospital Beds
Zelena Nicole Camargo Castellanos,10, receives a vaccine dose.
(
Alborz Kamalizad
/
LAist
)
Orange County remains in a public health emergency as sick children continue to fill up pediatric beds. Infections related to RSV are causing record numbers of child hospitalizations across the country. Older children are being sent to adult hospitals while specialty pediatric care is reserved for the youngest and most vulnerable patients.
OC health officials declared the public health emergency at the beginning of November and are pleading with caregivers to get children vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19, and keep them home from school or daycare if they are sick.
Why it matters
Hospitals across the country are sounding the alarm as pediatric intensive care units and children’s hospitals are being overwhelmed with sick children. Health workers are facing an unusually early season of RSV in addition to other circulating respiratory viruses.
Support for LAist comes from
What is RSV?
RSV is a seasonal virus that for most people causes something like a cold. But it can become more serious, even life-threatening, especially for babies and other young children and older people. Babies younger than 6 months old have the highest rates of hospitalization for RSV compared to any other age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As kids get older, hospitalization rates fall.
There is no vaccine for RSV (though some are in development.) Young children are the least vaccinated age group against COVID. Less than 6% of children under 5 have received the vaccine in California.
What's the situation in L.A. County?
L.A. County has more pediatric hospital capacity than Orange County, “so we’re better off,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer at a press conference Thursday.
“It's important to note that many hospitals have only a small number of pediatric beds, meaning that as few as nine or ten new hospitalizations can have the potential to put a hospital at capacity for their pediatric patients,” Ferrer said.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist