A majority of the youngest U.S. kids haven’t received a flu or COVID vaccine, according to federal health data—this as hospitals struggle to handle a deluge of patients with respiratory viruses.
Nearly 58% of children 6 months through 17 years old haven’t received the flu vaccine this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionYou can also refer to a telephone poll.
And 90% of children ages 6 months through 4 years hadn’t received a COVID vaccine as of Nov. 30, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), citing CDC Data. This number falls to 62% for children aged 5-11, but the majority of U.S. kids remain unvaccinated against COVID.
The AAP reports that 68% of adolescents aged 12-17 have had at least one dose COVID vaccination.
Health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated for COVID and flu as a “tripledemic” of respiratory viruses leaves both pediatric and adult hospitals treading water. RSV vaccines are not available yet, but they could soon be. as soon as the spring.
Federal health officials stated that they are ready to collaborate with other federal agencies to deploy troops or FEMA personnel if needed after announcing the epidemic flu levels in November. They added that they also have additional supplies, such as ventilators, at the Strategic National Stockpile.
U.S.A. believes that simple interventions such as hand-washing and masking in crowded areas, staying home when sick and getting the flu or COVID vaccines can help free up beds in hospitals for those who really need them. According to Vivke Murthy, Surgeon General Good Morning America This month, earlier.
“It’s more important than ever that we take these measures, because they’re one way that we can take care of our kids, [and] also relieve the strain on health care workers,” he said.
This week 76% of the country’s more than 78,000 ICU beds are occupied, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, citing data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. This figure is about the same as it was in 2002, at the height of the pandemic when many COVID patients were filling hospital beds. The number of beds available has fallen by 15,000 in two years. And unlike December 2020, when a majority of hospital beds were taken by COVID patients, they now only comprise a small percentage–less than 6%–of occupied beds.)
Nearly 73% were occupied in pediatric hospitals last week. according to Healthcare ReadyThe nonprofit LINKS government, non-profits and medical supply chains to help prepare for disasters. It also used data from the federal government.
However, it is possible that the percentage of occupied bed may be even higher. Healthcare Ready warns, as facilities often report the number of beds they’re licensed for, not the often smaller number of beds they can actually staff. Also, 67% of U.S. hospital capacity was reported last week.
Healthcare Ready reports that Idaho was the most occupied state for pediatric beds last week with more than 150% of these beds filled. Nevada was second at 97%, Arizona third at 94%, Rhode Island fourth at 94%, and Utah fifth at 92%.
Due to the tripledemic, some drugs are scarce this autumn. It is difficult to find multiple forms of the go-to antibiotic amoxicillin, and Tamiflu, which is an antiviral used for treating flu symptoms. There’s also a shortage of some types of sodium chlorideIt is used in respiratory therapy and for the treatment of asthma. Rocuronium injectionAccording to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP),, this is used during intubation.
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