Doctors worry over rise in respiratory virus and flu, added strain on health-care system – CBC
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is surging among children after reduced exposure during COVID-19 masking
Nov 16, 2022
Doctors in the province are worried about the rise of illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus among children, and the added strain on the health-care system, according to the past president of the New Brunswick Medical Society.
Dr. Mark MacMillan, who works at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, says a pediatrician colleague has seen more cases of the common respiratory virus, referred to as RSV, in the past two weeks than they’ve seen in the past three years.
An infectious disease colleague has seen 50 positive cases of the flu in the past two weeks — “the most we’ve seen in a very, very long time.”
And COVID-19 is “still here, obviously,” with four more deaths reported Tuesday and 29 people hospitalized because of the virus.
The health-care system already has a “bit of a human resources crisis,” said MacMillan.
