Hospitals told to brace for double wave of Covid and child infections - Channel 4 News

At the same time the third wave of severe Covid cases is likely to peak in hospitals, in early August, NHS leaders are also predicting a national wave of Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV infections.

An internal NHS email seen by Channel 4 News shows how hospitals are being told to prepare for a third Covid-19 wave at the same time as a spike in serious infections among very young children.

The email, sent by a London NHS trust to clinical staff, says “national guidance on planning” has been issued telling hospitals to expect 50 per cent of the Covid cases seen in the first wave of the pandemic.

At the same time the third wave of severe Covid cases is likely to peak in hospitals, in early August, NHS leaders are also predicting a national wave of Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV infections.

“At the same time as COVID, we are predicting a national wave of RSV infections in children, which will likely lead to more admissions, (non-invasive ventilation) and intubation among very young children.

Paediatricians have been warning for months of the risk of a wave of RSV infections outside the normal winter season, as has been seen in Australia and other countries, though the timing remains unpredictable.

These are not RSV cases and they are not Covid – they are other respiratory viruses that are circulating.