Cook Children's dealing with 'unprecedented' amount of flu, RSV cases

In the last 24 hours, 624 kids were seen in the emergency room at Cook Children's, and many of those were with respiratory infections like RSV and the flu.

FORT WORTH, Texas - In the last 24 hours, 624 kids were seen in the emergency room at Cook Children's, and many of those were with respiratory infections like RSV and the flu.

The situation has gotten dire, as the emergency department has issued what's called an "internal disaster code."

That means doctors and nurses are coming in on their days off to see patients.

"The sheer volume of kids that we're seeing is just unprecedented," Dr. Daniel Guzman said.

Cook Children's is seeing a critical volume of patients at its emergency department and urgent care centers.

"It's a constant flow of patients into our ER. We're seeing a patient every two minutes, that's what they're checking in at right now," Dr. Guzman said.

Dr. Guzman said nearly all of the pediatric patients are presenting with upper respiratory-related infections.

This week alone, Guzman said they've treated more than 250 confirmed cases of RSV.

RSV tests are in short supply, so Guzman expects that number to be even higher.

ER doctors have also seen 170 cases of flu and 27 cases of COVID-19.

"Which causes a logistical challenge in being able to see that many patients and move them through our system," Guzman said.

That has prompted the Cook Children's emergency department to issue an "internal disaster code," bringing in doctors and nurses on their days off.

Staff from the ICU are assisting in the ER and patients with milder symptoms are being discharged sooner to free up bed space.

"We will take care of the sickest ones first, they're our first priority," Dr. Guzman said.

Guzman suggests that kids with milder symptoms see their primary care pediatrician instead.

"If you have mild symptoms within a 2-3 day span, we're hoping to be able to have your child seen," Dr. Bianka Soria-Olmos said.

If your child needs to go to the ER or urgent care, here's what doctors are going to need to know.

"Things like, are they breathing fast and hard, are they drinking okay, are they not drinking, are they urinating? These are key things that we're looking for," Guzman said.

Guzman said we have yet to reach peak flu season, and they aren't sure if we've reached peak RSV season.

"Another thing that is critical is please, please, please get an updated flu and COVID vaccine," Dr. Kara Starnes said.

Dr. Guzman said patients can expect to wait between 8-10 hours to be seen at the ER given the severity of their symptoms.

According to the DFW Hospital Council, pediatric flu and RSV cases are presenting a problem for children's hospital region wide.