Tri-state clinics report increase as youth COVID cases rise

Tri-state health departments are warning that the number of COVID-19 cases in children is on the rise. Officials at the area’s largest pediatric hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said Wednesday that the number of young patients admitted with complications from the virus is also increasing every week.

The spread is spreading throughout the wider healthcare community, doctors said. Outside a Hyde Park emergency care clinic, patients lined up outside the door on Wednesday morning.

“We all wait a long time, side by side, not feeling well,” said Seante Bullock, who was at the clinic.

Inside the clinic, all the chairs seemed taken.

“They ran out of chairs,” Bullock said. “Everyone is waiting in the same airspace or outside. There’s someone almost coughing next to me, and I just want to panic.

One of Cincinnati’s leading pediatric physicians, Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney is Chief of Staff at Children’s Hospital. She joined Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman on Wednesday in warning of the impact. Manning-Courtney dates back to what she said was the growing number of children who contract the virus as well as other respiratory illnesses spread through children, families and neighbors.

“Our whole pediatric health care system is under stress and strain right now,” she said. “By that I mean: our emergency rooms, our emergency care, our primary care practices, our community physicians are seeing some of the highest patient volumes they have ever seen.

Dr Amy Mechley works at Integrated Family Care of Cincinnati in East Walnut Hills. She said her office sees the same.

“The cases of COVID are now getting younger and younger and maybe a little more personal,” she said. “We see more and more people coming to ask questions. Our vaccine appointments are now full, which is great. “

Public health data show Hamilton County has had the most pediatric cases in the three states since the start of the pandemic and has the third highest number in the state of Ohio.

Manning-Courtney said that among the children out of hospital, at least 500 there have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week. That’s up from 300 the week before, and she said there had been 150 positive tests the week before.

She couldn’t know how many children are hospitalized due to COVID-19 at Cincinnati Children’s because, she said, it would violate the privacy of children and patients.

Other counties in the observation area said they were experiencing similar trends.

Northern Kentucky Health Department breaks down number of active cases by age. However, a spokesperson for St. Elizabeth Healthcare said no patients under the age of 18 were admitted due to COVID-19 at hospitals in that system on Wednesday evening.

Erin Smiley, director of health promotion for the Butler County General Health District, said doctors there have seen an increase in the number of child hospitalizations linked to other respiratory infections – in particular, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections.

Ohio lists data for COVID-19 and children under 19 here, and the Indiana dashboard breaks down cases by county, here.

Meanwhile, back in the line at the Hyde Park clinic, patients said they could feel the tension. Some question the proximity and level of patient care.

“It gives me a bit of anxiety,” Bullock said. “Most of these people, including myself, are being tested for COVID. So if everyone has some type of symptoms and we are all sitting so close to each other, it doesn’t make sense. “