Doctors urge vigilance as RSV, flu, COVID cases rise ahead of holidays
FORT WORTH (CBSNEwsTexas.com) - As the holidays draw near, North Texas doctors are urging parents to be vigilant.
That's because RSV, flu and COVID-19 cases are filling up the ER and doctors' offices.
Doctors at Cook Children's say they are concerned because they know so many people will be traveling and coming together and that could help spread the virus.
"Our urgent care are incredibly busy, they're seeing over 700 kids a day," said Laura Romano, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and pediatric hospitalist. "Over the weekend we were seeing nearly 400-500 kids a day in our emergency rooms."
Cook Children's ER has been hit with cases of RSV, COVID-19, and now the flu. It's made it harder for healthcare workers to care for the sickest patients with the greatest needs
"It will probably be a bad respiratory season, our positivity rate here at Cook Children's is around 30%, which means if you come in to get tested for a virus, you have a 1 in 3 chance of having RSV," Romano said. "Our flu and COVID numbers are thankfully still a little on the low side."
Staff at Cook Children's says they are seeing the highest number of RSV cases since 2018.
Last week, Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth saw a new patient checking into the ER every three minutes and 372 RSV cases.
As people celebrate Thanksgiving, staff at Cook Children's expects more positive cases following the holiday.
"We know that traveling and seeing family is wonderful, but it also means you're going to be sharing germs," Romano said.
Doctors recommend calling your primary care provider first before going to the ER just because it is so crowded and it can be a long wait. They're reminding everyone to stay home if you feel sick and make sure you wash your hands.