A&E triage - an afternoon with positive patients

[Bobholll]

My toddler became very ill this morning & we were rushed to hospital. She had a really high fever & rapid breathing. We were obviously put in the red zone due to potential covid symptoms (even though we’ve not left the house in 8 days due to norovirus & us all being floored).

She’s OK now, test was negative but it took 5 hours to come back and so we sat in a fairly small ward like room with 3 covid positive patients being triaged from ambulances. There was lots of cleaning, the nurses were diligent in changing aprons & gloves & wiping down chairs & equipment. Windows were open. There were plastic screens between patients & curtains that were being changed for every new patient. The covid cases were not coughing at all, I didn’t hear a cough between them. They were all on oxygen but OK. We were 2m apart at least.

How likely am I or my already poorly DD to get covid from this? I’m not worried about covid itself really, I’m double jabbed & quite happy to accept I’ll catch it again at some point (I had it in December) but I have so many nice things in the diary over the next couple weeks, including my hen do, I’ll be bloody gutted if I’m isolating. My mum is also ECV, should I be worried? Should I limit contact? Am I overthinking?

Anyone got any similar stories?! Or nurses in hospital working in amber/red zones - is it common?

About 40% of infections are picked in hospitals so I wouldn't be seeing anyone ECV.

I spent about a month in hospital earlier this year, on a ward where by the time I left I was told I had been the only patient that didn't get covid. So that's literally everyone on a ward got it from someone else on the ward other than me.

This said this was before the vaccine rollout but still, I wouldn't be seeing anyone ECV at this point I'm afraid if I were you. Hospitals are the main point of transmission. Sorry!

I was in A&E at the weekend with cellulitis. They were so understaffed. The waiting room was supposedly a non covid area but it was a free for all where bays and beds were concerned. At one point I was put in a resus bay next to someone with covid, until someone finally realised and moved me. I has covid in march and am double jabbed so not too worried. I hope you and your toddler are okay. My DM was in hospital for a week and didn't catch it. My nanna has dialysis 3 times a week at hospital and has done throughout and has been fine, despite there being covid positive patients in the unit at times. It isn't a given you will catch it at all.

I would say the risk is quite high. Sorry, I know that’s not what you want to hear. This is one of my main worries, having to go to A&E!

This has just made me very clear that I’d need to be very very sure of imminent threat to life to take my toddler to hospital.

Pretty scary. Hope you’re both okay.

Thanks - I know it’s a complete gamble, just really annoying. I’ll steer clear of my parents for 10 days. Might do a couple tests along the way as I’m not cancelling all my plans as a what if..

It honestly wasn’t scary @LividLaVidaLoca .. my daughter need some fluids ASAP. Covid aint the only illness, in fact the doctor said they are heaving with non covid illness in children, the effect of lockdown ☹️ It felt like a very normal hospital experience, they didn’t feel understaffed today, there was loads of them buzzing around. My hospital were very diligent with potential & non-covid cases. Those with broken bones etc were completely separate.

Another question - does being near a covid case in hospital not count to close contact? I was always 2m apart but same small space for 5 hours or so.. in any normal circumstances, would I not be being told to isolate?! Seems peculiar! The nurses & docs were all just in disposable masks. I honestly thought they’d be in proper PPE in actual covid areas. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I would have thought double jab plus Covid in December would protect you, but as I am in a similar state maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Best wishes for you both.

Op glad your dd is feeling better it's pretty scary when dc get that ill

From your experience one thing heartens me re your and and e visit and that's the open window.

We're seeing a lot of non-Covid illness in children. If you're worried about your child, please do still seek help for them.

In most hospitals, proper PPE for covid positive is surgical mask, plastic pinny and gloves....that's been the recommendations all along. This wave we've been in my hospital to wear FFP3s which we've never been allowed before. It's crap.

Windows were wide open, it felt pretty cool. Pretty small windows granted but they were all open.

Deffo take your kids to hospital! Mine was seriously dehydrated from norovirus & it caused her breathing to become laboured, a fever, very fast pulse.. scary stuff & happened pretty quickly. She was OK first thing & then just flopped 😢

@Bobholll

Another question - does being near a covid case in hospital not count to close contact? I was always 2m apart but same small space for 5 hours or so.. in any normal circumstances, would I not be being told to isolate?! Seems peculiar! The nurses & docs were all just in disposable masks. I honestly thought they’d be in proper PPE in actual covid areas. 🤷🏼‍♀️

It should count as close contact, but of course if they said that to all the medical staff who work with the covid patients then the medical staff would be isolating 100% of the time, which isn't a reasonable possibility. You will not be contacted by T&T based on your close contact but of course at this time you are at a higher chance than normal to have caught covid so may want to be mindful of who you see in the coming week(s). The PPE worn by staff is very basic unless aerosol generating procedure such as CPR.

Would also echo please take ill kids promptly to hospital if they need seeing, please don't avoid hospital from fear of covid if they are genuinely unwell

I work in medical receiving and often in the red zone. Where I am its most likely not covid, however that's because it is often a COPD exacerbation or lower respiratory tract infection. Which would i guess would only happen in adult wards. I guess a children's A&E would more likely be viral infections, but also children are much much less likely to have serious life threatening symptoms of covid so could be something else causing the presentation to A&E.

I've been on wards throughout the whole thing with just a surgical mask on and have never had it, even when I spent the vast majority of the night looking after a lady who had just fallen and was quite poorly who later turned out to be positive. Strict hand hygiene and distancing and take all your clothes from the red zone and wash them at 60. I would keep awat from your mum for a week if you can or if not, wear a mask and distance where possible.

To the person who said they would be keeping their children away. Please please please do not delay taking your child to hospital if they need it. Kids can become so unwell so quickly (and thankfully usually recover pretty well) and healthcare professionals are trying to hard to minimise the risk of transmission in hospitals.

Just to update this thread for any future readers .. 10 days after my fun afternoon with covid patients & I didn’t catch covid. I did a PCR at 5 days & I’ve had no symptoms at all. So all good, clearly the hospitals covid measures do help stop the spread!

Two days after this, we ended up back in a different hospital & were admitted for 2 days & we didn’t catch it then either! Not with covid patients on the wards admittedly ..