Gold Coast sees ‘unusual’ increase in respiratory syncytial virus as patients present with COVID-like symptoms

Doctors are baffled by an “unusual” increase in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on the Gold Coast.

And hospital emergency departments are being overwhelmed with RSV patients due to COVID-19 restrictions.

RSV produces a number of the same symptoms as COVID-19, including respiratory distress, runny nose, cough and fever.

Due to the pandemic, patients with those symptoms cannot present to general practices and are instead going to hospital.

“There seems to be an outbreak of a virus…