UNC shutters pediatric surge unit as winter RSV and flu cases finally let up
UNC Hospitals closed its pediatric surge unit after RSV and flu cases dropped substantially, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed Tuesday.
The extra beds opened at the end of November to keep up with unusually high pediatric demand, which forced Triangle hospitals to delay elective procedures and reject patient transfers from smaller community hospitals. That was the first time UNC had to open a pediatric surge unit.
UNC closed its unit the last week of December. Duke Health began planning a similar pediatric surge unit, but did not ultimately need to open it, a spokesperson for the health system said.
For now, it appears RSV and flu hospitalizations have peaked and dropped, said Alan Wolf, a UNC health spokesperson. State data on respiratory viruses reflects that trend.
However, Triangle hospitals are now facing another problem: COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Statewide, the number of hospital admissions have steadily risen for about five weeks. The vast majority of North Carolinian hospitalized with that virus are older than 60, according to state data.
UNC Health has 300 patients hospitalized with COVID, nearly four times the number of patients the health system saw in mid-November.
COVID-19 data in the next two weeks will help hospitals discern whether cases will continue to rise, Wolf said. The health system has not yet decided how to use the surge capacity space.
Teddy Rosenbluth covers science and healthcare for The News & Observer in a position funded by Duke Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "UNC shutters pediatric surge unit as winter RSV and flu cases finally let up."
