RSV Surge in Children Likely Caused by ‘Immunity Gap,’ Not COVID-19 Vaccine

Children’s hospitals across the United States are reporting full capacity due to an intense and early surge of respiratory syncytial virus infections. RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild flu-like symptoms, but can be dangerous for some people, especially older people, infants and young children. 

By the end of October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported its surveillance systems were showing an increase in RSV detections and RSV-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations in multiple areas of the country, with some regions nearing seasonal peak levels, which usually occur from later December to mid-February. Each year, 58,000 to 80,000 children under 5 are hospitalized due to RSV infection, according to the agency. 

“There are bad RSV years and less bad RSV years,” Dr. Paul A. Offit, a vaccine expert and pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told us in an interview. “This is the worst RSV year we’ve ever seen in our hospital.”

Many experts believe the spike in RSV is primarily due to reduced immunity to the virus in the population as a result of the precautions taken during the pandemic, such as social distancing. Offit said the restrictions established in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virtually eliminated other respiratory viruses, creating an “immunity gap.”