White House resists declaring emergency as flu, viruses surge in children - The Hill

In a letter sent to President Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra last week, the two organizations said the “unprecedented levels” of RSV and rising flu infections warrant a dual declaration of a national emergency along with a public health emergency. .

But the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicated a national emergency isn’t needed at this time. .

Amy Knight, president of the Children’s Hospital Association, said an emergency declaration makes it easier for hospitals to add pediatric beds in places that aren’t typically used for inpatients, like a treatment room or a playroom.

When you have a public health emergency you are allowed to … make those kinds of decisions,” Knight said.

has been under a public health emergency for COVID-19 since 2020, and it’s been renewed every 90 days.

The letter from pediatric groups is really a call to alarm that there’s a public health emergency that they feel they’re facing, and there’s just not enough resources,” Kates said

 “This threshold to call an emergency declaration, I think it really speaks to the fact that our health care system, our public health system, isn’t able to adequately respond fast enough to an infectious disease emergency on its own.”