ER Nurse Manager At Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Says ‘Pediatric Patients Are A Lot Sicker’ This Time Around

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is worried about the increase in pediatric COVID cases.

CBS4’s Joel Waldman visited the hospital, where one young girl was too young to fully understand the serious threat of virus, but definitely old enough to know she’s not feeling too well.

“It seems pediatric patients are a lot sicker than they were last year,” said Anthony Sanders, the ER nurse manager at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

The hospital is one of many modern day battlefields in the war against a vicious virus. These well-armed doctors and nurses are using some new weapons, like monoclonal antibodies.

“Monoclonal antibodies are an IV medication where specific antibodies are directed at the virus,” explained Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronald Ford.

Ford said they’re particularly effective in preventing hospitalizations, especially for young patients with pre-existing conditions.

But these healthcare workers worry about what a return to school may mean.

“When you throw kids into the mix and you don’t know what the flu will look like along with other viruses kids get, it’s a lot scarier this time,” Sanders said.