NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters has adjusted its visiting rules due to an ongoing surge in respiratory viruses.
Family members under the age of 12 are no longer permitted to visit hospitalized patients, according to CHKD.
This change was implemented on Dec. 11 and is expected to remain in effect until further notice.
CHKD Chief Clinical Operations Officer & Chief Medical Officer Christopher Foley, told WAVY
the new policy is consistent with a lot of other children’s hospitals across the country as they have witnessed a steady increase in RSV cases since October, and are starting to see flu cases as well.
“Children as you know are the vectors of a lot of these illnesses,” Foley said. “Anybody who has a child in daycare knows that, and it’s hard to for those children to keep their hands to themselves.”
The doctor stated that they’ve always seen a surge in respiratory illnesses during winter months, but numbers this year and last year have been higher than the traditional norm because of COVID.
During the pandemic everyone wore masks and kids were not exposed to these illnesses.
“So, we’re seeing a lot of those kids still coming to the emergency department for the first time with illnesses that in the past they might have already weathered once and now have some immunity to,” Foley said.
There is no shortage of hospital beds currently and no reason for the public to panic, the doctor said, but wait times in the ER and at urgent care facilities is high, especially after school, between 4 o’clock and midnight.
In an effort to cut down on the overcrowding, doctors remind parents that most children can be treated for cold-like symptoms at home with Tylenol, rest, and plenty of fluids.
You should however, seek help immediately if your child ever has trouble breathing, is not eating, drinking or sleeping.
“Any of these folks having trouble doing their normal stuff, huffing and puffing, breathing real fast when you’re just sitting there holding them, they seem to be making noise, (while) breathing. Those are things that should be alerting,” Foley warned.
The doctors hope the spread of these respiratory illnesses will settle down sometime this spring and they can reopen the doors to younger visitors.
CHKD is encouraging families coming in for outpatient appointments to limit the number of siblings they bring to their child’s appointment, but this is not a requirement.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
