Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order on Dec. 7 to address a surge in respiratory viruses, namely the flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and COVID-19. Brown’s order addresses the rise in respiratory viruses in November that allowed hospitals to use volunteer doctors and nurses and designated emergency health care centers to help with the surge of pediatric RSV cases. The newer executive order gives more flexibility to state agencies to assist health care providers.
“Our health care workers—our nurses, doctors, and hospital staff—are being pushed to their limits by this year’s combination of flu, RSV and COVID-19 hospitalizations,” Brown said in a press release. “As they do everything they can to keep Oregonians healthy and safe, we must all do our part to help them. Our health care workers are working around the clock to protect the people most vulnerable to severe respiratory illnesses—including our young children and seniors.”
The RSV season started in October this year, months before it typically does. The virus is particularly tough on children, sending about 60,000 to the hospital every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates only 1-2% of pediatric RSV cases lead to hospitalizations, and adults usually only suffer from mild cold-like symptoms. Only three hospitals in the state have pediatric intensive care units: Oregon Health and Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Providence St. Vincent’s Hospital. The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals criticized Brown’s executive order, saying it allows hospitals to ration care with a less than optimal staff without addressing the worker shortage in health care professions.
“The best way to handle a spike in infectious diseases is to ensure that we attract and maintain qualified staff on a permanent basis, and any effort to solve this current situation without increasing staffing levels is doomed from the start.”— Joshua Holt
“The best way to handle a spike in infectious diseases is to ensure that we attract and maintain qualified staff on a permanent basis, and any effort to solve this current situation without increasing staffing levels is doomed from the start,” Kaiser Permanente RN Bargaining Chair Joshua Holt said in a press release. “What we need are solutions that increase our staffing levels so we can more sufficiently care for the community who needs us.”
Latest data show about 2.5 cases of RSV per 100,000 people at the beginning of December, down from a peak of five per 100,000 in mid-November. The last time cases exceeded two per 100,000 was in January of 2020. The lack of exposure to RSV over the past two years of COVID-caused health measures may be why children are more susceptible to the virus and why cases this year are more severe, experts say.
This article appears in Dec 14, 2022 – Dec 20, 2023.
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