Tri-Cities hospitals treating more babies for respiratory illness. 1 more COVID death

Another recent death from COVID-19 was reported in the Tri-Cities, but it is not the only respiratory virus sending people to hospitals in the area.

The number of respiratory illnesses is high across the nation for this early in fall, said Dr. José Romero of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a news briefing Friday.

Cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are being reported earlier than usual for the respiratory virus season in the Tri-Cities. Initial reports started about four weeks ago and cases continue to increase, said Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the Benton Franklin Health District, speaking this week on the Kadlec on Call podcast.

It is a common respiratory illness that makes most people mildly sick for a week or two, but it can cause serious illness in infants and very young children and also in elderly adults.

Romero said RSV is increasing across most of the nation, and the nation has the highest number of influenza hospitalizations for this early in the year in more than a decade.

The state of Washington reported that a third person is known to have died of complications of the flu already this fall. Nationwide two of the deaths reported this fall have been children, according to the CDC.

RSV in Tri-Cities

At Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, children who are being treated for RSV are a little older than in most years, said Dr. Loren Malone, a pediatric hospital specialist at Kadlec, speaking on the Kadlec on Call podcast.

It is usually the first exposure to the virus that makes babies ill enough to require hospitalization, with often that happening at ages 3 to 5 months.

But this year the hospital is treating more children than usual who are ages 1 to 2 years, she said.

The theory is that precautions taken during the COVID-19 kept many babies and young children from being exposed to RSV, she said. The virus can live on surfaces, such as a toy, for six hours, and during COVID many people were diligent about cleaning toys and other surfaces and hand washing.

Romero said that parents of young children should watch for warning signs of RSV that indicate a baby or toddler needs immediate medical care.

They include fast or troubled breathing, bluish lips or face, chest pain and a lack of alertness. The child may be dehydrated — as shown by no urine over eight hours, a dry mouth and crying without tears — and muscle pain, as shown by refusing to walk or crying when being picked up.

COVID in Tri-Cities

The Benton Franklin Health District reported one recent death, a Benton County man in his 80s, in its weekly update on COVID-19 on Thursday.

Last month it reported eight deaths.

Since the start of the pandemic, 736 residents of the Tri-Cities area have died of complications of COVID-19, including 513 residents of Benton County and 223 of Franklin County.

COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area continues to hold steady at a rate much lower than in the summer, according to health district data.

The concentration of coronavirus genetic material in samples of untreated Tri-Cities wastewater is about sixth of what it was at its peak in the summer and is close to levels last seen in the spring.

The confirmed new case rate remains steady at about 32 known cases per 100,000 people in Benton and Franklin counties in a week. The case rate does not include most cases detected with home test kits, with results not reported to public health officials.