Urgent care busier but not overwhelmed

Dec. 30—It started with a cough on a Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, it was a fever. It seemed to be better Monday, but Tuesday, Teresa Arkfeld woke up again with a fever. It was that afternoon she decided to go to Urgent Care at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston to get checked out.

"I thought Urgent Care was quite busy when I got there," she said. "They handled it pretty well because I didn't have to wait very long."

Arkfeld was tested for strep and influenza A — two of the illnesses making the rounds in Creston. Her tests came back positive for influenza A.

"It's not just Union County. In Iowa, we have seen an increase in RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and influenza activity," Union County Public Health Director Zach Woods explained. "The last couple months, Urgent Care's volume has been pretty high."

Viruses that have been unusually scarce over the past three years are reappearing at remarkably high levels, sparking a "tripledemic" of COVID-19, the flu and RSV. This November's national hospitalization levels for influenza were the highest in 10 years.

Many of the circulating viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics, but rather rest and fluids.

For parents, Woods said watching and providing comfort is often the only solution. "Make sure if they're sleeping, they're in an upright position," he advised. "Make sure their room air isn't super dry — a humidifier will help when you're trying to get kiddos to sleep."

Arkfeld, who had COVID last year, said her experience with influenza A has been far worse. "It's horrible," she said. "I can still hardly make it through work without falling asleep." While she's fever-free and on the mend, the cough and exhaustion has been persistent.

When to seek care

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding whether or not to visit Urgent Care for an illness. Woods said a persistent cough or a fever over 100 degrees is a reasonable reason to go in.

However, there are other options for patients with mild symptoms.

Public Health has take-home COVID rapid tests available at their office on Wyoming Avenue in Creston. "That's been utilized by the community quite a bit," Woods said. "If you're starting a cold, but you may be going to see grandma or to a party, those are good things to monitor so we aren't exposing people."

Even if a person tests negative for COVID, based on the severity of symptoms, they may still need to visit a provider.

"If you're really sick, you need to go to your provider," Woods said. "Just because you may test negative, doesn't mean you're not super sick and need to be seen."

If possible, patients should try to see their primary care provider when ill, but Urgent Care provides care for acute illnesses and injuries when the primary care provider is not available. If an illness or injury may be life-threatening, the patient should call 911 or visit the emergency department.

Real-time COVID tracking information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is available on Public Health's web page at www.greaterregional.org/publichealth.

"Right now we are keeping up with the demand," Woods said. "A lot of kudos to our health care workers and leadership handling the volume right now."