Representatives of several local hospitals said Thursday the increase in so-called co-infections, up as much as 30 percent from a month ago, started around the start of December after a similar jump in cases affecting children.
The sudden increase, attributed to recent family gatherings and weak immune systems because of social distancing during the pandemic, has hit hospitals and their employees' families so hard that some are again turning to traveling nurses to relieve pressure on overworked staff.
"What's happening now is two (or more) viruses are coming together and we haven't been exposed to those in a couple of years, so our bodies are not able to fight off those viruses as effectively as we have in the past," said Chief Operating Officer Terri Church at Bakersfield Memorial.
The jump in co-infections is notable partly because it involves adults coming down with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a virus that normally only impacts children to a significant degree. Another distinction of the current surge is that half a dozen viruses are coinciding, all of which affect the respiratory system.
How serious the overlapping illnesses are typically depends on the patients. Local medical professionals say most patients who are showing symptoms, even if they're infected with COVID-19, don't necessarily need hospital care. But they say elderly patients, small children and people with certain medical complications may need emergency treatment if their conditions are bad enough.
Data on recent infections is elusive because hospitals aren't required to test for influenza or RSV, even as they are checking for COVID-19, whose local incidence has steadily increased since mid-November, according to the Kern County Public Health Services Department . It said there were 68 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at local hospitals on Wednesday.
The state recently released figures suggesting flu hospitalizations in Northern California are up more than 12 times the average during the last five seasons; for RSV, the rate was found to be 11 times the average over the same period.
The increase in adults showing up at local hospitals infected with two or three viruses at the same time has come just as hospitals are seeing a decrease in pediatric RSV cases, said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ghassan Jamaleddine at Adventist Health Kern County. That may partly because RSV, in particular, is affecting adults more than it has in years past.
He theorized that, because of social distancing during the pandemic, "we have become more naive to the flu."
The chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital , Dr. Hemmal Kothary, said co-infections have been on the rise since about mid-November, but that in about the last two weeks he has noticed co-infections increasing by 20 percent to 30 percent.
One result, he said, is that his hospital has been "maxed out" to a degree not seen since the pandemic, forcing managers to look for traveling nurses, which can be costly.
Like Jamaleddine, Kothary suggested masks and COVID-19 precautions may have weakened people's resistance to viral infection.
"Our immune system hasn't built that tolerance that we've had for all these many years," he said.
A spokesman for Clinica Sierra Vista , Adam Alvidrez , said the chain of health clinics has seen more patients testing positive for Influenza A during the past week. He and others offered advice for keeping healthy, such as getting a yearly flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccination or booster.
Others recommended washing hands often, avoiding people who are sick and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.
While most viral infections resolve themselves without need for medical treatment, local medical professionals said, people who are showing symptoms should drink plenty of fluids and consider taking a pain reliever or fever reducer such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. They cautioned against giving aspirin to young children.
Jamaleddine noted it's important not to overwhelm the local health-care delivery system unnecessarily, whether that means avoiding a hospital emergency room or staying out of an urgent care center.
But he and others said adults should go to a hospital if they are having trouble breathing or experiencing chest pain, getting confused or dizzy, vomiting or unable to eat. Of particular concern are the elderly, people with compromised immune systems or advanced heart disease.
The guidance is different for children: They said kids should be taken to the hospital if they are having trouble breathing, their skin becomes discolored, they have a high fever, their phlegm is green or yellow or they are not easily waking or interacting normally. Before giving cold medicine to a child, they said, parents should consult a health-care provider.
The California Department of Public Health added that children's congestion can be reduced with nasal saline and gentle suctioning. It advised keeping kids with RSV upright or sitting, as well as using a cool-mist humidifier.
There was wide agreement that anyone who is sick should stay home and call a doctor, drink plenty of fluids such as broths and beverages with electrolytes.
Church at Bakersfield Memorial further advised people with a sore throat or runny nose to avoid parties and take vitamin C.
"If you're in a position (to do so) and you are concerned, it's always safest to wear a mask," she added.
Alvidrez said symptoms should go away within seven to 14 days.
"If they seem worse or not getting better as expected," he added, "take them back to their primary doctor."
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©2022 The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
