Local hospital officials: COVID-19 subordinate to other respiratory illnesses

Dec. 2—CUMBERLAND — Lately, COVID-19 has taken a back seat to other illnesses including respiratory syncytial virus and influenza, local hospital officials said.

Gov. Larry Hogan in late October announced statewide preparedness efforts to address the increase in RSV and potential COVID-19 and flu surges, including an online dashboard with hospitalizations updated Thursdays.

On Thursday, the website listed 88 RSV hospitalizations across the state, down from 181 the prior week.

A year ago for the same calendar week, those numbers were 41 and 44, respectively.

Hospitals across the country are busy, said Matthew Simmons, vice president of medical staff affairs at UPMC Western Maryland.

"We aren't seeing as much COVID, but now other illnesses, including RSV, enterovirus and influenza," he said via email. "We know RSV well, and while this is most common for children under the age of one, it is also affecting older children and adults."

Patient wait times at UPMC Western Maryland urgent care facilities across Allegany County varied, according to the hospital system's website.

Thursday morning, three people were waiting to be seen at UPMC Outpatient Center in Frostburg, 19 at Advanced Medical Care in Cumberland and none at UPMC Outpatient Center in McHenry.

Generally, an urgent care center or primary care provider should be consulted for treatment of symptoms that are not life-threatening, Simmons said.

"Symptoms that are more appropriate for the emergency department include severe chest pain or shortness of breath and wheezing," he said and talked of precautions to help avoid respiratory infections.

"We encourage everyone to take preventative actions to reduce the spread of these viruses such as avoiding contact with people who are sick, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, washing your hands often with soap and water, and avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes," Simmons said.

"Additionally, getting your yearly flu vaccine and being vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 will dramatically reduce your risk of severe complications," he said.

Garrett Regional Medical Center this week saw more patients with the flu than other respiratory illnesses.

"We have seen a small increase in flu cases, but little to no change in RSV/COVID numbers," Kimi-Scott McGreevy, GRMC's assistant vice president of marketing and development, said via email.

"Flu-like symptoms are the most common symptoms of those seeking treatment in the ER," she said.

The average wait time in the GRMC emergency department was about 90 minutes to two hours, she said.

At Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser, West Virginia, influenza also dominated respiratory cases.

PVH and GRMC are part of the West Virginia University Health System.

This week compared to last at PVH, "flu increased slightly, but RSV/COVID had no real change," McGreevy said.

The most common complaint among emergency department patients has been flu-like symptoms, she said.

"COVID and flu complaints are the most common in those age 25-55," McGreevy said and added the average wait time in PVH's emergency department was 2 1/2 hours.

When considering whether to go to the hospital with flu-like symptoms, GRMC and PVH recommend people try to first check with their primary care provider.

To prepare for the next several weeks as respiratory illnesses are expected to spread during the holiday season, GRMC and PVH "have surge plans in place to care for the community," McGreevy said.