Respiratory viruses surge in Monroe County
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The region is experiencing a surge in COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus cases. Monroe County’s COVID-19 hospitalization level is now considered “moderate,” the number of influenza cases has more than doubled in the past two weeks, and nearly 100 children and adults have been diagnosed with RSV. I’m hospitalized.
The surge in respiratory illnesses is putting added stress on already overburdened and understaffed hospitals. As News10NBC reports, Strong Hospital and Rochester General Hospital are already over capacity most days.
For example, at Strong Hospital, the number of patients currently hospitalized in isolation for respiratory illnesses has more than doubled since Thanksgiving.
URMC and RRH doctors said most health care workers have returned to wearing masks and are asking visitors to stay home if they have symptoms of a cold or cough.
We are also doing everything we can to preserve space, which in some cases means transferring patients from one hospital to another.
“Our capacity is often in the 105-110% range,” explains Dr. Michael Apostolakos, chief medical officer of both Strong and Highland Hospitals. “One of the benefits of being a system, he said, is that you can spread the patient load across the system.”
Both health systems say the situation is not as dire as it was at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, but it has had a significant impact.
“The ongoing need to manage resources is a critical day-to-day issue,” says Dr. Robert Mayo, RRH’s chief medical officer. “In the emergency room, some days there are very few patients waiting to be admitted, and other days it’s very busy, with 50 to 70 patients waiting for an inpatient bed. And that’s not ideal. No. It’s not good for patients to be waiting in the hallway or for family members to be waiting.”
Dr. Mike Mendoza, director of the Monroe County Department of Public Health, encourages people to consult their primary care physician first if possible.
“We want people to be aware of their symptoms. Don’t let them brew for too long. Don’t hesitate to use MyChart or other methods to contact your primary care clinic and Please get evaluated as soon as possible, because we are happy to care for you and would rather take care of you before you become seriously ill. You should be seen in the emergency department.” he says.
