Amy Schumer revealed this weekend that her son was admitted to the emergency room with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as cases continue to overwhelm hospitals nationwide.
The comedian revealed that her three-year-old son, Gene, was hospitalized during the week while she was rehearsing in New York to host Saturday Night Live (SNL). Schumer choked up while referencing Gene during her sign off from the program.
In an Instagram post Sunday, Schumer called it the “hardest week of my life,” while also encouraging “all the parents going through this right now.”
“Thank you everyone [at SNL] and to the doctors and nurses who helped us,” she wrote.
Schumer is the latest parent to be affected by an unprecedented surge in RSV cases that is hammering hospitals across the country. Scientists have suggested that an ‘immunity gap’ spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic might be a driving force behind the recent rise in RSV cases.
This also coincides with a severe start to flu season, lingering COVID-19 infections and increasing fears of a ‘tripledemic’ this winter.
Despite the challenges ahead, there is a glimmer of promise on the horizon as a recent clinical trial indicated an RSV antibody shot was 75% effective at heading off infections and could be available as a vaccine by next winter.
Additionally, Pfizer announced earlier this month that its maternal RSV vaccine prevented infants from developing severe symptoms during the first six months after birth.
