'We're super busy': Emergency rooms slammed by flu, COVID-19, other viruses

People infected with flu, COVID-19 or other viruses are packing emergency rooms across Ventura County in a wave that is taxing resources and bringing longer waits for care.

The surge is primarily driven by a strain of influenza A that hit the county about two months before the flu season usually begins. State projections suggest flu activity could double in magnitude and then begin to recede, perhaps within weeks, said Dr. Robert Levin, county health officer.

Some emergency room doctors said they've seen record levels of activity. On Monday, 279 people were treated at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, about 100 more than usual for this time year, said Dr. Neal Canby.

"We're super busy," he said. "Some have flu and COVID. Most of the ones we’re seeing, they’re not that sick even when they’ve tested positive for both."

The wave has brought longer wait times both for ambulances trying to drop off patients and for people in the ER who need to be transferred to other floors, said Steve Carroll, administrator for the Ventura County Emergency Medical Services Agency.

On Friday, the county implemented a strategy used in massive COVID surges the last two winters. All the hospitals were placed in a status called diversion, limiting the transfer of patients from crowded emergency rooms outside of the county but requiring local ERs to continue to accept local patients regardless of how many there are.

St. John's hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo started using tents on Friday to help with emergency room overflow. Other facilities are also beginning to implement plans to expand capacity.

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“Our winter surge typically begins in mid-December but this year has arrived several weeks early due to increased respiratory illness in the community,” said Megan Merino, spokeswoman for Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. “We have surge plans in place and remain prepared to take care of patients.”

Carroll said many of the emergency room patients across the county are being treated and released. Admissions are rising but the rate isn’t as steep as in the ERs. Hospitals still report having available beds.

“I wouldn’t say it’s at zero,” he said of capacity levels, “but it’s definitely impacting our hospital systems.”

Though flu may be rising fastest, the surge is driven by several illnesses. Respiratory syncytial virus, a condition that often causes cold-like symptoms but can be dangerous for infants and the elderly, emerged early this year and continues to impact hospitals but appears to be receding at some sites.

COVID-19 is increasing and other respiratory illnesses are also in the mix.

“It’s a complicated season, and we’re being hit by a lot of different viruses,” Levin said.

The COVID case rate jumped 70% in two weeks, according to data posted Thursday by the California Department of Public Health. The percentage of people who came up positive in PCR tests jumped 88%.

COVID hospitalizations, perhaps the most telling measure, increased but stayed relatively low with 66 patients admitted as of Thursday.

State projections show COVID activity could double in the current rise but likely won’t reach the level of the massive surge a year ago or even the smaller wave that increased hospital admissions in the summer, Levin said.

Dr. Jim Hornstein said he treated nine new COVID patients on Monday and eight on Tuesday, some of whom may have been infected at Thanksgiving gatherings. The surge has also hit people who never before tested positive. Hornstein is one of them.

The Ventura family physician is vaccinated, boosted and has taken protecting measures, including masking at public places and eating only outdoors at restaurants. He tested positive last month after attending a large indoor gathering originally set to be outside.

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Hornstein was treated with Paxlovid and tested negative but then came up positive again with more severe symptoms, including loss of taste and dizziness. Now recovered from the rebound, he urged people to get vaccinated and to get bivalent booster shots that target omicron variants. If they test positive, they should ask their doctors about antiviral medication.

People also need to avoid situations that increase chances of exposure, he said.

“You can get it anywhere but being indoors with a lot of people with poor ventilation is extremely high risk,” he said. “Do whatever you can do outdoors.”

Levin pushed people to get vaccinations for flu and the coronavirus. He encouraged people to wear high-quality masks in public places. He also responded to speculation COVID could hit many people who have evaded the virus so far, noting people who think they have been unscathed may have been infected without knowing it.

“Many of them probably had COVID once before, maybe even twice before,” he said.

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County ERs slammed by flu, COVID-19, other viruses