This browser does not support the Video element.
Visiting restrictions underway at Corewell Health due to cold and flu season
Corewell visitors are limited to two visitors per patient in the day, and one overnight.
FOX 2 - As we enter the height of cold and flu season, some visiting rules are changing to make sure everyone stays safe at hospitals this winter.
From RSV to the flu and everything in between - are hospitals seeing an influx of sick children and Corewell Health is implementing visitors restrictions to address the spread.
"This is the time of year we start to see more RSV, respiratory viruses and flu so we’re starting to see more cases in our emergency departments," said Dr. Matthew Denenberg, Corewell Health. "In fact, William Beaumont University Hospital has been at 95% capacity for our pediatric beds.
Denenberg, the chief of pediatrics with Corewell, says the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is nearly at capacity as well.
He says these influxes of young patients is common around this time of year — as viruses spread throughout the community.
Corewell visitors are limited to two visitors per patient in the day, and one overnight — which can sound a little scary for young kids and their parents — but the protocol has community health in mind.
"As we see more and more children in the hospital and more and more in the community, it becomes necessary to limit the number of visitors at the bedside both to help prevent the spread of these infections but also for logistics of taking care of patients when we’re this crowded," said the doctor.
Denenberg says it’s too early to tell if the rise in RSV and other viruses is a bigger spike than last year. He says if your kids do get sick, parents can help treat symptomatically over the counter — but watch for serious symptoms.
"If they’re showing signs of respiratory difficulty, dehydration, change in behavior or mental status, those are the signs we worry," he said. "And at the very least contact your doctor but potentially go to the emergency department."