BC Children’s Hospital triages E/R patients due to surge in illness

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VANCOUVER — Vancouver’s BC Children’s Hospital says it is triaging less serious patients from its emergency department to nearby areas due to a surge in people with respiratory illnesses.

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According to Christy Hay, the hospital’s executive director of clinical affairs, the department is seeing an increase in cases of mainly viral illnesses, including COVID-19, as well as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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In an email, she said an increase in RSV and influenza is expected based on trends in the rest of Canada and around the world.

Moving patients to nearby areas is something hospitals have done in the past to manage large numbers of patients during flu season, including when H1N1 first arrived, Hay said.

She says the hospital staff are all working as fast as they can.

Hay helps manage hospitals where people need to get all recommended vaccines, stay home if they feel unwell, wear masks indoors and in public places, and clean their hands regularly. It says it will.

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“I would like to thank our staff for taking swift action and mobilizing this service so quickly, especially during these difficult times,” Hay said Wednesday evening.

“We understand how stressful emergency department visits can be for people, but please be kind and respectful to staff and health care providers.”

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix could not be reached for comment.

Last week, Dicks said 1.2 million BC residents had already been vaccinated against the flu this year. That’s double what he did last year.

He said the state was opening up more hospital beds for flu season, but the situation wasn’t as desperate as in other states.

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