Ashley Western is keeping a close watch on her twin boys – Bodie and Crew - at Yale New Haven Hospital.
“It's been really stressful to be admitted to the hospital,” Western said.
On Monday, the mom from Orange decided to bring her three-month-olds to Yale after they came down with the respiratory virus called RSV.
“I didn't want to get to a point where, you know, it was a total emergency. So I knew it was just time to come to the hospital and we were here about 24 hours before they were actually moved to the ICU,” Western said.
Some experts think the relaxing of COVID precautions might be leading to the uptick in cases now.
The boys had first started to experience symptoms like congestion and wheezing about a week ago.
“Unfortunately, the number of cases of RSV, PCR tests that have been positive have increased approximately fivefold in the past month alone in Connecticut. So we see that this is not going away anytime soon,” said Dr. Jessica Tuan, Yale Medicine infectious diseases instructor.
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We also talked with Tuan about hospital capacity, which has become an issue in some states amid an RSV surge.
“Currently, things are stable. Of course, in this setting, we have to be very vigilant and keep in mind watching for these types of populations that are at risk, including children, immunocompromised and elderly. And we anticipate a potential increase so we just have to be prepared,” Tuan said.
For the Western family, one twin is on the mend, as the other is still in the thick of it right now.
They caution other families to help protect kids, especially with the holiday season approaching and watch out if they start having symptoms.
“If you're questioning something, just get another set of eyes on them because the sooner, you know, you can get them through that support, the better,” Western said.
For most young kids, RSV only causes milder symptoms though we’re told difficulty breathing or wheezing is a warning sign the child might need immediate care.
The virus can be prevented through hand washing, masking and social distancing.
