New Zealand hospitals are experiencing high case numbers of children infected with non-COVID-19 related respiratory illnesses as a result of lockdowns and social distancing rules. An outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital is causing the postponement of planned surgeries to ensure there are enough hands to care for all the sick children. The hospital is also urging parents not to bring children to visit other kids. Sick beds have also been set up in a playroom in Middlemore Hospital because it ran out of space in regular wards. New Zealand Royal College of GPs medical director Dr. Bryan Betty said his own medical practice saw a spike in children with respiratory illnesses. “We had none of these illnesses in the country last year because of lockdown—children’s immunity has dropped a little bit, and the illness they’re actually getting is slightly more severe than what we …