So many COVID-19, flu patients seeking treatment, Saint Vincent ran out of rapid swab tests

David Bruce, Erie Times-News
Updated ·4 min read
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This story was updated to include Erie County's latest flu, COVID-19 and RSV data as of Jan. 2.

Saint Vincent Hospital treated so many patients with respiratory illness last week that its emergency department ran out of the nasal swabs that rapidly test for COVID-19/flu/RSV.

More patients visited the Erie hospital's ER on Dec. 26 than any single day since before the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. Dec. 27 was its second-busiest day.

"It's people being sick. We did have four physician offices closed for the holidays, but this is due to more people being sick," said Dr. Caroline Colleran, Saint Vincent's director of emergency medicine.

Saint Vincent Hospital saw more patients in its emergency department on Tuesday than any other single day since before the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020.
Saint Vincent Hospital saw more patients in its emergency department on Tuesday than any other single day since before the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020.

The triple whammy of COVID-19, flu and RSV that health-care providers have talked about for several years appeared to have arrived in Erie over the holidays.

Saint Vincent, which was able to offer other swab tests for patients with respiratory symptoms, wasn't the only hospital to see an influx of patients. UPMC Hamot also reported a surge in recent days, according to Dr. Mike Knoll, a Hamot emergency physician. Knoll did not have specific data on how many people were treated.

"We're seeing a whole range of respiratory illnesses: COVID, flu, RSV, even some bad colds," Knoll said. "It's people of all ages, from toddlers to people in their 80s."

Knoll and Colleran both said they have seen more patients with flu and RSV since Christmas. RSV cases, which appear to have peaked earlier in December, are still common.

More: Face masks again required for patients, visitors, staff at UPMC Hamot and its offices

The good news is that few of these patients are sick enough to be admitted to the hospital and hardly any of them need to be placed on a ventilator like they did during earlier COVID-19 surges.

No deaths due to any of the three illnesses have been reported among county residents this fall, according to the Erie County Department of Health.

"The patients we are seeing in the ER are moderately ill, with coughs, congestion, headaches and sore throats," Colleran said. "We're just seeing so many of them."

The symptoms are similar for COVID and flu, except that patients who later test positive for type B flu often have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, Knoll said.

"Right now, the patients with COVID don't seem to be quite as sick as those with flu, especially type A flu," Knoll said.

Erie County sees rise in COVID and flu case counts

Here are the county's most recently reported case and hospitalization totals for COVID-19, RSV and flu, according to the County Health Department:

  • COVID-19 cases rose by 39%, from 30.3 a day the week of Dec. 4-10 to 42 a day the week of Dec. 11-17.

  • Flu cases nearly doubled for the second straight week, with 519 cases reported the the week of Dec. 16-22, compared to 559 cases previously reported since flu season started Oct. 1.

  • RSV cases rose from late October until mid-December and are still diagnosed regularly, with 274 cases reported Dec. 16-22 and 1,247 reported since Oct. 1.

  • COVID-19 hospitalizations rose from 20 between Dec. 10-16 to 28 the week of Dec. 17-23, while the hospitalization rates since Oct. 1 are 1% (14 hospitalizations) for flu and 3% (36 hospitalizations) for RSV. All of the county's flu hospitalizations have been patients with type A flu.

When should I visit the ER?

Since the ERs are so crowded, Knoll and Colleran advised patients to call their primary-care physician if they are sick, unless they feel their illness is serious enough to require hospitalization.

"Of course, if you are older or you have comorbidities like cancer, diabetes, COPD, you should seek treatment right away," Colleran said.

It's also not too late to get a flu or COVID-19 vaccine if you aren't up to date, Knoll said. They are available at physician offices, chain pharmacies and the LECOM Center for Health & Aging, 3910 Schaper Ave.

"If you get sick, please try to avoid other people so you don't spread it," Knoll said. "If you have to go out, wear a mask. And wash your hands frequently."

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie hospitals flooded with COVID-19, flu patients over the holidays