Calgarians battling three illnesses: influenza, RSV and COVID-19

As Calgarians are faced with three illnesses — influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 — new figures released by the Calgary Board Of Education show that, on Thursday alone, more than 10,000 sick children had to miss school, leaving parents and doctors worried.

Dr. Daniel B. Gregson, clinician-researcher of Infectious Diseases And Microbiology at the University of Calgary (UCalgary), says it’s a big issue for parents as well as the healthcare system.

“We are seeing high numbers of cases of influenza right now requiring admission to hospitals along with our COVID-19 cases,” said Dr. Gregson. “So this is really a large burden to both the hospitals and to the emergency rooms and physicians’ offices having these calls.”

A Calgary mother of three, Joelle Shoemaker, says parents are showing sensibility by not sending sick kids to schools.

“In terms of parents with sick kids, I think that they’re all really taking a social responsibility right now in keeping our kids at home. That’s why we’re seeing such high absence rates in schools right now,” said Shoemaker.

Alberta’s healthcare system is burdened and so are the parents, who are still struggling to find cough and flu medicines across the city. With this surge in sickness, the old debate around the mask mandate kicks in.

Jacquelyn Mitchell, a Calgary mother of three, says we have overprotected children.

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“I do think that they are better off not being masked though to keep their immune systems strong, and to continue to give them that opportunity to gain immunity to viruses that will be out there,” Mitchell said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Theodore K. Fenske, clinical professor with the Division of Cardiology at the University of Alberta, says cloth masks can actually make you sicker if not used properly.

“The masks, they saturate over time as well with our breathing and hydration of our breath. And then if they’re not changed out and they are not cleaned out properly, they can actually become a source of pathogen and you know, for someone to breathe a mask all day, which they were not designed for. There are certain chemicals that are then released,” said Dr. Fenske. “It’s plastic, the silica you know, this is not a healthy air environment, especially for a child.”

With AHS data showing low flu vaccination rates among children, doctors are asking parents to get their kids immunized as soon as possible to reduce further illnesses.