Hospitals and emergency rooms in California and across the nation may have to ration care by the end of the month, federal health authorities warned this week.
Officials are particularly worried about an insufficient number of beds for children in pediatric hospitals and wards throughout the country as respiratory illnesses hit especially hard among Americans younger than 18 years old.
“In some parts of the country, hospital beds for children are already nearly as full as they were this time last year,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a bulletin late Thursday. “If these trends continue, the situation at the end of this month could again strain emergency departments and hospitals.”
Nationwide, just under three-quarters of pediatric inpatient beds and just over three-quarters of intensive-care beds were occupied as of Dec. 9, according to the CDC. The figures are slightly lower in California, at 69% and 72%, respectively.
The CDC attributed the imminent stress on health care systems to a surge in COVID-19 admissions fueled by the emergence of the highly mutated JN.1 coronavirus variant. Adding to the concern is a sharp increase in influenza activity and heightened levels of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The agency anticipates potential delays in delivering patient care.
Since the summer, the CDC has noted an uptick in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children linked to COVID-19. Additionally, there has been a recent increase in pediatric pneumonia caused by a variety of bacteria, fungi and viruses.
CDC data reveals that in the week ending on Dec. 12, a remarkable 22% of emergency room visits for individuals age 0 to 17 years old were due to COVID-19, flu, RSV or a combination. By contrast, the rate among adults ages 18 to 64 was just 3.6%.
“This season, illnesses have started later, returning to patterns typically seen before the COVID-19 pandemic,” the agency said. “This means that the peak of respiratory illness activity is likely yet to come.”
California is among the states with the highest levels of respiratory virus activity in the country, with the illnesses combined responsible for 4% of all emergency department visits as of Dec. 9 — the highest figure since January. Over the summer, that number had dipped below 0.7%.
This surge comes after a period of relative stabilization in nationwide emergency room figures leading up to Thanksgiving. Influenza-related emergency room visits now surpass those for COVID-19 in most age groups, except for seniors, where COVID-19 rates remain significantly higher and among infants, who are suffering disproportionately from RSV. In recent weeks, nursing homes, in particular, have reported a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases.
California has reported a 23% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people over the past month, for a daily average of 1,527 people hospitalized in the week ending Dec. 9, according to most recently available state data. Flu-related hospitalizations rose by 340% during the same period, from 142 per day to 470 per day. There are now 436 more intensive care unit beds in use across the state than a month ago.
“Being sick is unpleasant and inconvenient for you, your loved ones and can even lead to serious illness,” Dr. Tomás Aragón, the director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a message posted to social media on Friday. He urged residents to get vaccinated for the three prevalent respiratory viruses. “The time to act is now. Don’t let flu, COVID-19 or RSV take you away from doing the things you love, with the people you love, this holiday season.”
The CDC also urged health care providers to actively encourage their patients to get recommended vaccines ahead of the peak of the season.
The agency’s Dec. 14 bulletin includes alarming statistics: hospitalizations in the past four weeks increased by 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV across all age groups. The southern half of the United States is experiencing the highest respiratory disease activity, with a simultaneous increase in northern states.
“We are seeing too few folks get vaccinated this season,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said at a briefing with the American Medical Association on Tuesday. “The voice of the physician matters so much in whether or not folks decide to get vaccinated.”
As of Dec. 8, approximately 17.2% of adults and 8% of children nationwide had received the updated COVID-19 shot, according to the CDC. About 40% of children and adults have received this year’s flu shot, while just 15.9% of older adults eligible for the RSV vaccine have received it.