As rising respiratory illnesses among young people overwhelm hospitals in other parts of the country, Health PEI says it’s starting to see signs of that trend here.
While overall visits to emergency departments on the island are up only slightly this fall compared to last, there has been a significant jump in visits by Islanders under 18.
So far in November, Prince County Hospital in Summerside has seen 34% more patients in this age group. There has been a 17 percent jump at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.
Health PEI suspects that the fact that COVID-19, influenza and RSV are circulating at the same time is the main reason for the increase.
“We know this is our first breathing season [since the start of the pandemic] that we have not had widespread masking in public. And the flu is coming earlier than usual,” said Corinne Rowswell, Director of Operations for Health PEI.
“This is going to get worse before it gets better”
At a news conference in Halifax on Thursday, the head of pediatrics at the IWK Health Centre, the dedicated children’s hospital in the Maritimes, warned that the coming months could be challenging.
“Based on what’s happening now in Ontario and Quebec, in the children’s hospitals there, they have the full force of the flu on them. We’re just starting to see it in the last week or so here. So it’s going to get worse before it gets better. That’s our concern,” said Dr. Andrew Lynk.
Dr. Andrew Lynk, president and chief of pediatrics at the IWK Health Centre, spoke at a news conference in Halifax on Thursday. He worries that the situation will only “get worse before it gets better.” (CBC)
Rowswell said PEI has not seen an increase in admissions to any of its pediatric units at the QEH or PCH.
But with staff and resources “scaled up” across the province and patients already facing long waits in emergency departments, she’s worried about the weeks ahead.
“Of course we’re concerned, whenever this wave comes our way,” Rowswell said. “The worst case scenario is that we have a permanent service disruption because we have sick staff or we have too many patients coming into our facility.”
That could mean canceling scheduled procedures or surgeries, he said, as is already happening at hospitals hardest hit by the rise in respiratory illnesses.
Request mandatory masking
It’s a trend that has led some doctors in other provinces to publicly call for the return of mandatory mask rules. Rowswell said some Health PEI staff have asked for the same here.
“We’ve heard from staff who feel that mandatory masking needs to come back, but at this point, there’s been no indication from the main public health office that it’s going to be called,” Rowswell said.
PEI Director of Public Health Dr. Heather Morrison encourages Islanders to wear a mask, especially when they have cold or flu symptoms, or are recovering from an illness.
He also stressed the importance of staying home when sick and getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.
Corinne Rowswell, chief operating officer of Health PEI, says she is disheartened by the low uptake of vaccines among Islanders’ youth and that getting vaccinated and following other public health advice are the best ways to protect the health care system. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)
Rowswell said if islanders want to minimize the impact of this wave of respiratory illnesses on the health care system, heeding this advice is essential.
“I think people are becoming maybe complacent. They’re out of the house when they have symptoms because it’s not COVID-19,” he said. “But it could be a flu that can be just as dangerous for certain immunocompromised people or the very young.”
Rowswell said she is particularly disheartened by the relatively low uptake of the vaccine among children. Only 10 percent of islanders under the age of five have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I would really encourage our parents to make sure their kids are vaccinated,” she said. “The vaccine is effective and it’s disheartening when you have it available and there’s no uptake.”