Corewell Health restricts hospital visits from children as RSV cases incease
Visitor policy for Corewell Health restricts children due to RSV case surge
Many area hospitals are at capacity when it comes to pediatric patients, and have been forced to make room for them in other areas. Officials say this change in Beaumont’s visitor policy is a crucial step in reducing the spread of RSV.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Corewell Health, formerly Beaumont, is putting hospital visit restrictions in place for young children as respiratory syncytial virus infections (RSV) cases increase.
Beginning Monday at 8 a.m., children 5 and younger cannot visit patients in the hospital unless there are extraordinary circumstances, such as the severe illness of a parent or sibling, or an end-of-life situation.
This comes as more and more young children are being diagnosed with the respiratory virus RSV. Many area hospitals are at capacity when it comes to pediatric patients, and have been forced to make room for them in other areas.
Read: 6-year-old Macomb County boy dies from RSV
Officials say this change in Beaumont’s visitor policy is a crucial step in reducing the spread of RSV.
"I think the whole idea is that to not just keep the patients safe, but to keep the community safe," said Dr. Whitney Minnock, Royal Oak Beaumont. "If kids are visiting and visiting their sister or brother that has RSV, or even just being in the hospital, there are certain viruses that are circulating."
RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes mild cold-like symptoms in most people that contract it. However, it can become a serious health concern for infants and older adults, causing health concerns like lung inflammation like bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
Health experts say children ages 4 and under account for the majority of RSV visits to emergency rooms across southeast Michigan.
There is no vaccine for RSV — and since it’s a virus — it doesn’t respond to antibiotics.
Doctors are limited in how they can treat it.
"Oxygen, IV, fluids, acetaminophen and ibuprofen and that’s really about it right now," said Dr. Minnock.
To slow the spread of RSV, individuals are asked to be up-to-date on their vaccines, and anyone who feels sick or has cold-like symptoms to avoid children at high risk for the illness, including premature infants, children younger than 2 years old with chronic lung or heart conditions, and children with weakened immune systems.