Some El Paso hospitals seeing an uptick in respiratory illnesses
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Some hospitals across El Paso are seeing an uptick in respiratory infections right now. Some of the most common illnesses include RSV, COVID and the Flu.
Dr. Edward Michelson, the chief of emergency medicine at University Medical Center, said every winter there is a rise in respiratory illnesses.
"The last few weeks we have seen a marked increase in the number of patients coming to the emergency departments with acute respiratory infections."
Dr. Michelson said the main reason for this uptick is because more people are spending time indoors and traveling. He also said students are returning to the classrooms which means they are sharing germs.
He said this increase is also impacting hospital operations.
"It’s putting a lot of pressure on our inpatient beds situation. And unfortunately, what that means is we often have more patients than we have inpatient beds available. This backs up right to each of our emergency departments, and that results in much longer waits for patients who are arriving, waiting to be seen," he said.
Dr. Michelson said COVID is still spreading, but cases are less severe. As for RSV, children are most impacted. He also explained the Flu still spreads in February and March.
"It's always a problem this time of year because the hospitals tend to run pretty full year round. And when we get a new surge of patients with the flu season, it puts a lot of pressure on us. The other factor, of course, is that some of our staff are getting sick and having to stay home as well. So you're dealing with more patients and possibly fewer nurses or doctors available to treat them. It results in substantial waits and delays, unfortunately."
He said most illnesses can be dealt at home. But if you are experiencing shortness of breath, trouble breathing or can't keep liquids down you should go to the emergency room.
"But for all of these illnesses, it's important to rest, bring plenty of fluids, treat your fever, use some of the over-the-counter available medications for cold and flu and stay away from other individuals so you don't spread the germs," Dr. Michelson said.
According to a spokesperson with Las Palmas Medical Center, the hospital is experiencing an "expected seasonal uptick in respiratory infections, including RSV."
Del Sol Medical Center said they are not seeing an uptick in RSV cases.
Both hospitals said they do not require masks, and are not planning to change their masking policies at this time.
