Respiratory virus season is here, numbers will rise, emergency doctor at Winnipeg children's hospital says

Respiratory virus season is here and one Manitoba doctor says it's only going to get worse. 

Children's Hospital of Winnipeg emergency department medical director Dr. Karen Gripp said as the season changes respiratory virus numbers will continue to rise in the next couple of months.

"Winter is coming, we expect this pretty much every winter, but the numbers are increasing," said Gripp. "Even just this past week we've jumped quite a bit in terms of the visits to children's emergencies and mostly they are respiratory viruses, influenza, RSV, COVID, as well as a number of other viruses common to children." 

Gripp said the vaccination rate among against influenza is only at 10 per cent for children in the province. 

"There are a lot of children, including the younger children, who could be protected against influenza, which would make a difference in their health and the health of others," she said. 

Gripp also said the children's emergency department is seeing an increase in patients and that many of those patients are coming in for influenza-like illnesses.  The department is also seeing an increase in the number of patients coming in with respiratory symptoms who probably don't need emergency care. 

She said while it's putting a strain on the children's emergency department, the hospital will still prioritize those who come in with respiratory symptoms. Gripp also said there are other options like seeing a family doctor or visiting a walk-in clinic. 

She emphasized that while there will be long waits, the children's hospital only has so many resources and they have to give them "to the sickest patients." But if children are among those who are needing care urgently, they'll be taken care of, she said. 

"We know that parents are worried, they're supposed to be worried, that's part of our job as parents," said Gripp. "But definitely we're seeing more patients who probably don't need us, but parents are concerned things are just getting worse every day." 

Gripp also said parents know their children best, but should always keep a stock of Tylenol or Advil and be prepared to stay home from work if they're sick. She said parents should also keep their children out of school and daycare when they're sick so they can feel better and not infect those around them. 

She also encouraged people of all age ranges to get vaccinated 

"The most vital message is to empower parents to take care of their child, to know what to do at home, to know when to be worried and when not to be worried," she said.