ST. LOUIS — Dr. Jean Wagner said her Metro East practice is usually busy this time of year with back-to-school physicals, but this August they're "swamped — we are really, really swamped."
Wagner said children are coming down with all kinds of respiratory illnesses. Other physicians said it's happening on both sides of the river.
"What has been remarkable at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, we are practically full right now," Dr. Kenneth Haller, a SSM Health Pediatrician said. "And this time of year, that's very odd."
Haller attributes the trend to a change in behavior. He says respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and various types of respiratory viruses tapered off while children were learning remotely, spending more time at home and using masks more frequently.
Wagner said they're seeing RSV, croup, the cold, and COVID-19, too.
"We have seen even (3 to 6-week-old) babies coming in with COVID," Wagner said.
She said one way to keep children safe as they return to classrooms is with masks, joining more than 450 local doctors urging the school districts to require them.
"The kids are doing great with it. They are so happy to be in school, around their teachers that they love, their friends who they love, getting instruction in a way that we know works best for kids," she said. "A mask is a small ask to keep our ... community safe and to keep this virus from spreading to people at risk. And I think if we all would agree that we could protect one another, things would go much smoother."
Wagner said if your child starts showing any signs of respiratory illness, get them tested.
"No matter what the cause is, we swab every single kid," she said, because the typical winter illnesses are showing up on summer vacation.